HeadInTheClouds

Hmm just had a look back at my first solo circuit video, just about 5 minutes from takeoff to touchdown. Strikes me as incredibly short given the above times but then again with 1POB in the Foxbat it climbed like a crazy beast, and I tend to fly slightly tighter circuits where final is more or less done at completely idle power, if I'm too high then a mild bit of sideslip solves all problems.

Wow, so much money for something that can be crashed and destroyed in an instant! I would like to know how much some of those machines cost, my guess is easily the price of a small basic LSA! Used to have an RC plane once, but kept crashing the thing so I gave it up.

Came across this today. I really do have to find the time to try out gliding one day, looks like great fun! Might have to wait until I have a free weekend and take the drive to Lake Keepit possibly...

Don't think so, kind of hard to misread an ATIS.

Don't worry about it, really I am probably exaggerating a bit because of my previous flying experience in such a nice plane which would make us both a bit biased. As long as the winds are somewhat calm I'm sure you will manage it fine, it's just different and harder to get used to really. Despite the fact I wasn't a fan of it I still managed to be able to do takeoffs and landings unassisted after the first go at each, just that they weren't so glamorous...

You might have read it wrong, I was with an instructor...

It's no longer being used by the flying school for reasons I'm not going to go into/not entirely sure of. It was never owned by the flying school anyway.

I've already had two solo flights but flying this solo at the moment just seems out of reach.... By the time I come back to RAA lessons I may have a much better alternative to fly anyway. I do miss the good old Foxbat though. It's probably a good thing to be familiar with Jabiru's though seeing as they are so commonly available for hire throughout Australia. And yep I'll post back here once I have had the chance to fly a warrior. The LSA 55 is a challenge but I'm sure it could be mastered with more experience in it/in calmer weather. From my experience today though once I have my cert and pax endo I would be somewhat hesitant to take anyone up in an LSA in anything other than totally still and perfect conditions.

Given a choice? Probably not, depending on the choice though. I would like to fly one again in calm weather though to see how it handles then. At the moment the thought of flying it solo terrifies me! haha

So I flew for the first time since January today, and seeing as the Foxbat is no longer available I had my lesson today in a Jabiru LSA 55. It was interesting to say the least. I found it somewhat uncomfortable to sit in and taxiing was stranger with the pedals being less responsive, it also doesn't like being run with the engine right on idle either. The fuel pump was also another thing to worry about, as was carb heat. Takeoff was straight forward enough but a bit different to what I am used to. Today was a bumpy windy day and so flying down the coast to get the feel for it I felt like I was more wrestling the aircraft rather than flying it in order to keep tracking in a somewhat straight line. Letting it try to ride out the bumps put it in all sorts of weird attitudes. Came back for some circuits where it got way more difficult. I found it really hard to nail the approach speed of 65kts when the end of the white arc is only at 70kts but it became easier. Landing was also a hard task and the stick has to more or less be fully back by touchdown which seemed different, the stall warning horn screaming at me also was different. One takeoff was particularly horrendous with a gust of wind and me leaving the nose wheel down a bit too long sending us a bit off course. Overall I found the LSA 55 tough to manage (Not least because I haven't flown for ages) and even more so in the windy conditions. I think I would find it much better on a smooth day. Next time I get the chance to fly RAA will be June, so I think I'll be doing a few GA lessons in a warrior sometime soon.

Hi there, I have been trying to catch up on some of my training when I have been home this week but to no avail - the wind has been far too strong to even attempt flying. The issue is I go back to uni at the end of this week and there is a pretty good chance that I will not have flown at all in this time, which means by the time I get back for my next round of holidays (Which are around a month long) I will not have flown since January, which worries me... I could do some lessons with the GA school when I am away for uni in one of their Piper Warriors which would mean it at least wouldn't be such a massive gap between flying for me. What I want to know is do hours in GA count for RAA? For example, if I were to have 2 hours GA and 18 RAA would that count as the 20 needed to take the RAA flight test? Obviously it is highly unlikely anyone would get their certificate in just these 20 hours but just hypothetically? Or would I need to have 20 hours in RAA aircraft with an RAA instructor no matter what? The weather is annoying me to a massive extent... I was planning on having my cert by the end of mid year holidays, but it looks like it might not be until end of year holidays now...

Fully agree. I do find FSX good but that is because it is the first one I played, even if it is insanely resource intensive. MS Flight seems more like a fun game rather than a sim game, and I am glad it was free because I would have been frustrated to pay for it...

Just wondering if anyone else has tried this Microsoft Flight game, the successor to FSX from Microsoft. It is free to download and play with more scenery and aircraft costing extra, aircraft for free are the Icon A5 (Amphibian) and a rotary engine aircraft not dissimilar to a Tiger Moth (Can't recall the name). To me it doesn't seem as realistic as FSX does, the sounds seem less real and it just seems to be marketed more to people who know nothing about aviation. Although they have fixed the overly sensitive braking mechanism which saw the nose of most aircraft diving into the ground when braking in FSX. Stalls seem to work out well in MSFlight however spins don't, and the rudder controls are terrible (But I don't have a joystick which is likely why)

Thanks. Camera was just stuck to the dash next to the magnetic compass with blu-tac. In future I will try and mount it further back, possibly behind me which would give a bit better field of view.

I have a Kodak ZE1 I think, and as you can see from the following video distortion is pretty bad and so is the field of view. Will have to upgrade to a GoPro someday.

Thanks everyone. Really looking forward to flying again (Although I am unsure what type I will be flying now...). Haven't flown since the 13th of January!!

I just found out I have received a GYFTS scholarship While it won't get me to my cert it sure as hell will get me closer to my goal!!! Can't wait to fly again over easter!

While sitting around putting off some study tonight I came across this video of paragliding in Italy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkoE0kgAGpM Watch it in HD, absolutely amazing. Makes me sad I won't get to fly as much for some time now seeing as I have started uni, but certainly adding paragliding to the list of things to do one day.

...That wasn't my post you quoted...

I was talking absolute limit i.e. airliners but hey, that works to!

Yep, and I am one of those students. Although here it isn't an issue as the instructor has a CPL (Obviously) with CTA and so as long is he is in the aircraft flying in CTA is fine, solo has to be done when the tower shuts for the day or before it is opened though. I think you can get an exception for training which will apply to an aircraft where students can fly solo while the tower is operational, but I think that means a class 2 medical and sitting the GA Radio exam.

It certainly does.

Basics: RAA: - Not administered by CASA, it's own organisation - 2 seats only, <600kg MTOW - No NVFR, IFR or use of CTA (CTA with exceptions though) - max altitude 10000ft - Hourly rates tend to be cheaper than GA GA: - CASA administered - No limit on seats, not limit on MTOW I guess - NVFR, IFR and CTA with appropriate training - Hourly rates tend to be more expensive than RAA

One of the Medical Physiology textbooks I use occasionally actually has a section on aviation (+ diving) physiology. Guess this shows you can find material for HF almost anywhere.