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Chris Tarran

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Everything posted by Chris Tarran

  1. Chris Tarran
    I have a simple mantra. Buy cheap. Buy twice.
  2. Chris Tarran
    On the quad bike thing it is interesting to note that the SA State Emergency Service have removed ALL quad bikes from service and disposed of them. Units doing land search operations are now supplied with side by side vehicles like the Polaris, Can Am et al. Cheers Chris
  3. Chris Tarran
    Got to say I really enjoy looking at your videos. The effort these builders put into their aircraft is amazing. Thanks Dominic. Chris
  4. Chris Tarran
    Happy days. Finally got to do some flying. Last time was May 2015 so very rusty and BFR out of date. Went up to Port Augusta Monday a week ago after a couple of cancelled attempts. Weather was a bit ordinary so did some ground based revision on daily and preflight inspections and finally got airborne in the early afternoon. Spent some time on basic manoeuvring, stalls and forced landings and then straight into the BFR. For the first half of the flight I was as nervous as a kitten but it all came back and by the end I was happy with my flying, and more importantly, so was my instructor. Had a break after the BFR and did some more theory stuff and then took off solo for an hour or so. Did some circuits to get my solo take off and landings done for my pax endorsement and then a joy flight down the gulf for a bit more air work. Returned to the circuit for a couple more laps and having pretty much greased landings all day the last one was bloody awful so a bit more practice needed. I don't know what it is but it seems every time I start circuits I end up,playing dodge the RPT traffic. Still it's good practice. Need to do it more often. Cheers Chris
  5. Chris Tarran
    Not sure it is CASA issue. Radios need ACMA approval. I thought this was the problem. Cheers Chris
  6. Chris Tarran
    Hi Poteroo, I'd suggest in here. It's your thread. I would also be very interested to read your stories about your aviation career. I think Nev could tell us a few beauties too. How about it? Chris
  7. Chris Tarran
    The coronial document shows that the pilot reduced power on the right engine which caused a yaw to the right at that time but NOT that it stopped. The coroner concludes that the aircraft wouldn't be able to maintain the airspeed it did (remember it's still on ATC radar) on one engine. The first engine failure was the left one. The right engine failed shortly after. The document is readily available for download and makes interesting reading. Teckair I also know people involved in the incident, both the operator's and the family of some of the victims. Interesting no-one round here bears any ill will toward Whyalla Airlines.
  8. Chris Tarran
    Judging from the ATC and other records included in the coronial enquiry MZK would have been more than half way over Spencer Gulf when the Mayday call was made. In that case the only other option would have been a 90 degree right turn to Port Pirie which was probably as far but with the last bit over land. Either way they were going to be in water on a horrible evening in ordinary weather.
  9. Chris Tarran
    Accepted. Perhaps I should have said "failures causing injury or". Remiss on my part.
  10. Chris Tarran
    I agree absolutely. Google Whyalla Airlines Flight 904. Multiple engine failures and 8 fatalities in 2000. ATSB blamed the operator and CASA pursued them and put them out of business to the detriment of this area. A later coronial enquiry overturned the finding and placed the blame squarely on the engine manufacturer who subsequently grounded some 1000 aircraft for repair at a cost of $66M So Jabiru are not the only aircraft engine manufacturer to experience failures costing lives. Despite all the huffing and puffing I've read about how bad Jabiru engines are supposed to be no-one (including CASA) has shown me any statistics that prove anything conclusively. In my view if CASA wish to impose the conditions that they have an Jabiru powered aircraft they should be made to prove why, publicly. Most of the problems reported on this site are anecdotal and therefore suspect from the start. The fact remains that in RAAUs we all fly single engined piston aircraft and our safety dictates that we should plan and fly as if the fan can stop at any time. Cheers Chris
  11. Chris Tarran
    Sorry. Ozzie beat me by a couple of minutes.
  12. Chris Tarran
    At about 2:30pm today a Cessna (yes it is actually a Cessna) skydiving aircraft made a forced landing in Victoria Park (where Clipsal is held) on the eastern fringe of the Adelaide CBD. Looks like all OK but taken to hospital for observation. Good outcome. Glad everybody is safe.
  13. Chris Tarran
    Interesting that the locality Hawson is west of Port Lincoln and there are a couple of private strips very near. In fact if you search for Hawson in Google Earth the pin is on the road exactly opposite one of them.
  14. Chris Tarran
    After a couple of hours in the air my bladder has a fair range.
  15. Chris Tarran
    Hi Kasper, Don't see why not. If an aircraft has been tested and certified in a country you would trust to have the engineering reputably and properly done and it meets the weight/stall numbers required for registration why should the local authorities impose a lower limit. I have no experience or knowledge of weight shift aircraft so I am not really qualified to comment. I am just talking about 3 axis where some cannot be flown 2 up with full fuel because of a weight restriction lower than the aircraft is designed to. By the way at 9.5 hours endurance I reckon your trike has way more range than your bladder. Cheers Chris
  16. Chris Tarran
    Thanks Don, I agree with your sentiment. Your aircraft (and many others) are designed for a higher MTOW than 600kg. The Tecnam Sierra is available as a certified aircraft with a 620kg MTOW for example. I doubt the actual aircraft differs physically at all from the non-certified version. Jab 230/430 from memory are designed to 750kg. Therefore a moderate increase to the upper limit for the class would have some benefit for those with capable aircraft not the least the ability to fly 2 up with a full fuel load. Has to be an improvement in safety. Regards Chris
  17. Chris Tarran
    I was fortunate to have a really good instructor so my experience has only been good and the GA instructor I discussed transition with was pretty easy to get on with. I like the idea of being allowed in CTA, the aircraft I fly is equipped to do it and it opens up some options. Not so fussed about MTOW. If I wanted to fly heavier aircraft I'd do my PPL. Cheers Chris
  18. Chris Tarran
    I have always had an interest in flying and can remember as a youngster cycling to the Whyalla airport to watch the army aircraft when they were doing exercises at Cultana. I actually got to sit in a Caribou and Huey which was pretty exciting for a 9 year old. Learning to fly was never a consideration. In those days it was simply unaffordable. When we moved here we did a couple of flights with some friends in a Piper out of Port Lincoln. I got my hands in the controls and really enjoyed it. The opportunity came up to attend a fly in nearby and do a TIF in an RAAus aircraft. I got hooked and as doing an RAAus ticket was affordable I signed up for lessons. 5 years down the track I still don't get many opportunities to fly but when they do come up I still enjoy the experience. I can't ever envisage owning an aircraft as it does not make financial sense given the hours I would fly. But while I can hire one for a couple of hours here and there I'll keep flying. I have also considered transition to an RPL or PPL but again the investment in time and money doesn't add up. I guess I am a classic recreational pilot in that I just do it for the fun. If I had discovered flying, and been able to afford it, earlier who knows what might have happened. Cheers Chris
  19. Chris Tarran
    Think Nev is right.
  20. Chris Tarran
    DC3 converted from a C47 post WW2?
  21. Chris Tarran
    When I did my RPC I decided that one lesson infrequently wouldn't cut it and lead to a two steps forward one back situation so we settled on a 2 day session every 2 to 4 weeks or so. Standard practice was a couple of 1 hour sessions of structured training on each of 2 days interspersed with book sessions and the CFI and I would play golf on the second afternoon. It seemed to strike the right balance (for me anyway) of work and relaxation. I seemed to retain what I'd learned and be ready for the next stage on the next visit. That said after I got the basic certificate and was onto navs etc there were a few big gaps. I always (and still do) ask the CFI to come up with me for a few circuits if I have had a gap of 3 months or more. Cheers Chris
  22. Chris Tarran
    Jan 2014. Thought is was relevant in light of posts 1120 & 1125.
  23. Chris Tarran
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awEY-ISeMEk
  24. Chris Tarran
    I soloed at 14.5 hours which was my total flying time from the get go. I probably should have soloed the session before but while I had been flying pretty well my landings were inconsistent and the CFI made the call that a solid session of circuits was needed to get the landings right. So it took a few hours longer than I should have. On reflection I probably wouldn't have gone earlier as my personal confidence wasn't quite there. When I came back for next session I started to nail the landings so after a half a dozen circuits or so my CFI hopped out. I remember clearly (don't you always remember your first solo) I had no butterflies at all despite having a couple of curve balls thrown in by opting to extend downwind to let an RPT in and having the RFDS miss my final call and enter the runway while I was on final (I simpy aborted and went round again). I simply did what I had been taught to do. When I got back to the hangar after (effectively) only 2 circuits my CFI was surprised to see me so soon. He never did say how many I was allowed to do and thought I'd go around and around until dark or I needed fuel, whichever came first. Cheers Chris
  25. Chris Tarran
    Yes I know I'm probably tempting fate. Some time ago, straight after qualifying, I tried to hire a Sportstar. Obviously I did a flight test with the owner but it didn't go very well. The flight characteristics were quite different to the Tecnam I'd trained in and it took me a while to adjust. One of the key ones was the toe brakes (the Tecnam has the normal central lever). I was OK on the ground and taxiing but using the rudder on landing was a pain as I kept jabbing the brakes as I steered which led to the Sportstar hopping all over the place. Cheers Chris
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