Jeff Gordon

Yes, you are right djpacro and rankamateur. I have moved on. After 230 fantastic hours in the Maule, I had to make some decisions re family and life, so I posted an ad in Aviation Trader and Bingo, Reg Hamblin from Urella Downs in Corner Country NSW rang up and bought it. So with a heavy heart I delivered the Maule to Broken Hill with my friend and fellow Maule driver Ben Jaensch alongside. I bought a 1974 Landrover with the proceeds (bit of change there) and drove back, via Lake Mungo. Quite and adventure with my 11 year old son. I have now joined MAG, (Melbourne Aviation Group) operating out of Morrabbin, with a 182S Cessna CXZ and an Archer 111 OKY to choose from. So keep an eye out for me in the skies folks.

Not yet, and yes the presumption is Innocent until proved guilty. But should that stop other pilots ruminating over something that reflects on us all.

My condolences to the two aviators and their families. I was at Temora on Good Friday and flew out at 1545 for Moorabbin. I am studying for my NVFR at the moment but do not yet have the rating. I was due in at MB at 1814 according to my GPS but didn't want to risk last light at 1832, having to be on the ground 10 minutes before hand. So opted for an O'night stay at Mangalore. I could have risked it, but decided not to. To fly or not to fly? That is the question!

Don't know if anyone is interested but Stawell Aviation are holding a 14 day Kimberley and Broome Tour commencing August 26th. I am hoping to tag along in the Maule.

More news here http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/two-die-in-vintage-plane-crash/3797490

Two Dead in Maryborough plane Crash. http://www.3aw.com.au/blogs/breaking-news-blog/two-dead-in-maryborough-air-crash/20120127-1qlgq.html My deepest condolences to the families concerned.

A friend has organised me to go up at Benalla in the not too distant future. I hope I don't disgrace myself

Would need my brown underpants on for this type of flying. You can tell he is stressed, but he handles it very well.

I forgot to say, (just in case there is a misunderstanding) that after being teetotal all day, both pilots really enjoyed a beer after landing at Moorabbin at the Royal Vic bar.

Didn't see anyone in town that looked like you Pud, so guess you are off the hook!!

Flew to Brown Brothers Winery at Milawa last Sunday together with Debra's Tri-Pacer and Peter's Jabiru. Flew from Moorabbin over Coldstream, Taggerty, Eildon Weir (very full) and Mansfield. Six of us sat down to dinner at the Epicurean Restaurant to wonderful lunch and some of the passengers tried the local wines. Afterwards we were provided bicycles to go to the town 500m away to shop for Mustards, cheese and olive oil. Just a great day out. Interesting take off with plane full of goodies on a hot day, grass strip, 90 degree crosswind @ 5 - 10k. Took a longer ground roll than the Maule is used too. But once in the air climbed to 4500ft easily for the trip home. Highly recommended! Five Stars *****

Fantastic footage of an unbelievable flyer. The use of the Ospreys wings to get vertical takeoff from the water is amazing.

Got up early yesterday to fly to YGTO in Tasmania from Moorabbin. Could not log in on my "blasted" PC for weather, W&B etc. So did all my flight planning on my iPad 2 using Air-Nav-Pro App. and NAIPS. I use Oz-runways for inflight information as they have the ERC Low charts etc. Uploaded my flight plan from the NAIPS App. and took off at 1130 but only an hour into the flight turned back at Wilson's Prom with a diversion due to low cloud. Could not get above 2,500ft and not prepared to go over that expanse of water without some serious air below. The route I use is via Wilson's Prom keeping close to Flinders Island and then turn West along the NE coast to Georgetown. I have spoken to Eugene Reid (President of RA-AUS) last time I was there and he has made many flights across the Strait (direct). He has a great facility at the strip and is very helpful and friendly.

Welcome aboard Eddie. Happy Recreational Flying. Difference between flying a helicopter and a fixed wing. One thrashes its way through the air the other flies.

Welcome Captain Crunch from Captain Crash.

Nice one, but only if you have blue teeth J170!

The Maule MXT-7-180A Comet. Great plane with Patroller doors. I have retro fitted Vortex generators and gap seals, which were removed during the trip to Oz. I love flying this plane and after qualifying in RAA in a Tecnam did my PPL license in it with an instructor who has quite a lot of experience. He taught me a landing technique, which involves taking the plane as close as possible to stall with just a couple of feet under the wheels. Not for the faint hearted and I have had a couple of pilots alongside who have become quite vocal, but it's a great way to drop (and I mean drop) the plane onto the runway at minimum speed. His thinking is that the Maule with its high lift wing would be succeptable to lift off again in gusty conditions, or with too much speed on landing. So its important to wash off as much speed as possible on landing. I now have a 35k stall with the vgs at 40 degree flaps so am usually at around 70k on glide, 60k over the fence and 50k and decreasing to finish. Depends on the day but with a head wind of 20k like last Saturday it can look very good from a spectators point of view. I am usually off and into the air before the keys, if I am only two up. The Maule 180 has a MTOW of 1,134 kg and an empty weight of 695kg So an effective Useful load of 439kg. The plane will take 150 ltrs in the mains and 100 ltrs in the aux tanks for a total fuel weight of 180kg. Making a Payload of 259 kg. With a 35lph burn the Maule has over 7 hours in the air with that sort of fuel. Way too long for my bladder. I have been told* that you can fill the tanks, plus the reserves and have four adults up with a bit of gear and still climb out OK in 20 -25 degrees C OAT. But I would not try this, especially at any altitude. In my view if you are not flying at altitude much the 180 with the cs prop would be the pick of the Maules and they are not expensive (age compared) to Cessnas. Just everyone knows about Cessnas. Most Maules are taildraggers, I like the safety of the nosewheel, As a low hours Pilot it has got me out of trouble a couple of times already. * by other Maule Drivers _________________ Jeff Gordon "An Aviator's life may be full of ups and downs, but the only hard thing about flying is the ground." Charles Kingsford Smith

Thanks Dazza, I love the Comet, and it performs well. Would have been happy to stay RAA, but have two boys aged 10 and 12 and 2 up just dosn't do it for me. Maybe we will catch up at a Flyin one day.

Been using iPad 2 3G with additional GNS bluetooth GPS. Works a treat, and a very powerful tool for emails and the web, when back in the room (or tent). Still carry the ERSA onboard and maps onboard though. Before flight I log in and use Eflite tm for W & B, and send it to myself on email for printing. Air Nav Pro - Love it and the best planning tool I have found and very useful in the cockpit as a moving map display. Bit expensive buying the maps, but once you have them they are yours and survive during Apple upgrades. Gives clear Airspace areas, and zoom in zoom out function is easy using two finger Apple method. You can set up your own waypoints, and change between charts easily or overlay charts. Head up or North up function works well. Easy to move around Waypoints after route has been created. I've tested and trust and use the raw data and apply it through Sportys E6B (flight computer) app. to write up my kneeboard. Easy Peasy. NAIPS - very useful tool for weather info . Great tool for flight planning and lodgement, once the kneeboard has been written up and you are ready to go. Have used this in the room before a flight and sometimes in the cockpit before a flight to lodge plan and Sartime. OzRunways - These guys have it nailed, but I find their newly introduced flight planning not as good as Air Nav Pro. But that may just be me! It has the electronic ERSA so Runways are available to you, but good to carry the Country strip books as well, if heading away to the bush. With easy map chooser and secondary moving map for the cockpit I can load up the ERC low and change to it from time to time to see I am on the right frequency. Nice to have the electroniuc AIP as well, and not such a need to keep up the paper version now. Pkt Weather - Simple and easy and just add your destination to get the daily weather forecast up to 7 days. Nice window to OzRadar functionality that I have used live to skirt around showers. Trails - Nice little App that picks up your GPS and leaves a snail trail on the map of where you have been. Dial a Wiz - got onto this nice little number for my iPhone and have used it quite a bit, to get local weather, both in the planning and the flight stage. I am pushing the developers of Air NAv Pro to link to ZAON XRX PCAS system. Foreflight (only good for US) has already got it and it links via Bluetooth to Garmin, Bendix/King, AvMap etc. so it will only be a matter of time before it is on the iPad app in Oz. See http://www.zaon.aero/content/blogcategory/30/47/ Coming from a commercial boating background, where GPS and moving map technoligy, linked to Radar and AIS has been used for years, it will be a great safety aid to virtually see other danger aircraft on your screen. This in my view is the next big thing for AUS flying. and it is not too expensive at all.

If there isn't an RAA Scholarship, then maybe we should think of one. There will always be deserving young people like Solomon around, who are passionate and would appreciate the opportunity.

He is flying at Lethbridge with Bruce Vickers. Bruce thinks he is very good and will probably get his wings there. I think they are looking at a RAA Scholarship for him.

This was before I got my License but in my own plane.

Flying to Noosa last Easter for ANZAC service with mates in Bli Bli

Great Video Tomo. Love the Great Wide Plains that are Australia. Just like being at sea, except more interesting.

Now that's what I call the best of both worlds. Thanks Santa I'll have the FIB and the Schooner!