damkia

There's no such thing as a foolproof product. Mother nature will always "devolve" a bigger, better fool.

Seen in a different light... http://www.linkedin.com/e/-cbep9o-h6p48kg9-15/ava/158867430/3776681/eml-anet_dig-b_nd-pst_ttle-cn/?hs=false&tok=1oxvmy5ytqw5o1

(Great sig line)

We're buying safety, not toasters. Safety should be about not scrimping on money, or competition for money. It should be about making the best use of the money raised with the least amount of wastage on redundant administration costs.

Just the one, but with a bit more focus that we have currently. The charter needs to be more like EAA - fostering aviation, rather than regulating the crap out of it. Do away wit RA-Aus permit to fly and use CASA RPL, allowing the larger 2 seat aircraft, and CTA movement (if they're going to close down as many strips as they have been in the last few years this is a necessity anyway). This would improve training standards. If anything, roll it into SAAA, for which we share more than a bit, using their inspection schedules and assistance throughout the various builds. These people have a far more evolved structure that we could utilise to our advantage. Yes it will cost more but what is your safety worth? Do we really want to go back to the days of multiple fatalities every year by builders who are under-scrutinised due to financial constraints within different organisations? Has competition ever worked? (think - power, supermarkets, fuel, various public transport infrastructure under private ownership, etc)

A Riveting Read! ... and I thought it was an instruction on how to buck a rivet.....................................

I would think the standards for private use and aircraft for hire may be different. There would be more stringent airworthiness requirements in aircraft for hire, ie daily checks of things that would normally be monthly/25hr checks.

Would it be possible to include a couple of outward opening inspection ports (~120mm dia) in the lower cowl to facilitate inspection of the manifolds (a 2-3 Dzus lock "patch") ?

Absent bolts may not be as evident as loose bolts on a visual inspection by a novice flyer. The bolts may well have been absent for a while with the subsequent events only happening after a period of time of being rattled around. There is immediate vacuum applied across the manifold as soon as the engine fires up which may have been enough to hold it in situ. Is there any daily inspection done by senior flight staff to pick this sort of stuff up?

You can't even patent your genetic code - parts of the generic human code already belong to US pharmaceutical companies.... Only in America...

Could be useful if your RG get's stuck...."I'll just free it up for you..."

Microsoft gets away with it by having square "tiles" in W8 All Samsung/Android would need to do would be to change the shape of their icons to octagons or such. Nokia have reshaped their phones to all square edges. Could we have neon colours to make our phones more noticeable and less likely to get lost/left on table/misplaced in dark/etc? ("look and feel" claims disappear) Gestures - instead of the "swipe" to change pages, why not a "twist" (thumb up, forefinger down) as if you were gripping the page rather than flicking it? So many directions Samsung/Android COULD go....all of them taking market leadership in the process.

Until not so long ago, phones were getting smaller, discrete, and less conspicuous. Apple made them bigger to suit more obnoxious loudmouths......... (Waiting for the fanboi's...)

Google "America's Cup".............. 'Nuf said.

Just remember the three grades in navigation professionals Navigator Naviguesser Neverguesser

NFI - "Needs Further Investigation", so I am told..........

In academic circles it is up to 10% of the article with credit, before requesting permission.

We've had one of the driest spells in 20+ years = 36 days or so without rain. Thunderstorm predicted today, but they've said that before....

[tech] LCD's used in most display screens polarise the light. Most polaroid style glasses will cause issues when used to look at the displays as there is a possibility the two polarising filters between you and the light source (LCD backlight) will cancel out any light transmission or in lesser amounts change the colours on the screen. If they are available try for AMOLED flight display screens as these do not polarise the light. Do not be confused by edge lit LCD's, commonly referred to as "edge lit LED" or other such advertising. [/tech] In other words, don't take your fishing sunnies flying. Normal "coloured" sunnies should be OK.

If you did that then you would also need to extend that principle to those members that leave their S-LSA's on line for flying instruction at the various schools - conflict of interest.... It is reasonable that every aspect of the industry has some representation on the board, as long as there is no overwhelming power of veto given to any particular group or individual, ie, a democracy. Personally I would not be against CFI's, owners of S-LSA's, owners of E-LSA's, flyers, airstrip operators and any other relevant parties being appropriately represented on the board or as area reps.

MAYBE??? Bwahahahahah!!!!!

Is it time for a no confidence motion and spill of positions in the board at the AGM? It seems to me this is the only practical way of clearing the air in a general sense, not just with Ian, but also a well known manufacturer who has incurred the wrath of the RA-Aus decision making process. Could this be organised at short notice? Those board members that have done nothing wrong and have fairly and properly represented their members have nothing to fear. How about a new bylaw that all Executive members must be otherwise employed within Australia? In other words if you have an occupation that entails regular or extended period away from the Australian mainland you are not permitted to hold an EXECUTIVE position. This would seem to be logical, reasonable and legal, given the duties expected of the Executive. This would not apply to the various area management representitives as one could cover others who were indisposed for any period.

At least those of us with some sight remaining know what to look for when we meet you. So are you our "fly-by-braille" expert?

Yeah.............the slaps in the face are getting more painful these days when I try that....must be old age creeping up on me.

I would have thought RA-Aus would have subordinated delegation from it's general operation under the wings of CASA, a Commonwealth Department, therefore subject to both FOI and my previously mentioned whistleblower protections. I think CASA would be able to pull the rug out from under RA-Aus by deregistering its authority to function as a governing body, in the same way as they created it if needed. The RA-Aus is a bit of an oddball from where I sit, and I'm not sure that the standard set of "club incorporation rules" would apply as it was set up by the Govt through CASA. I have been involved with other clubs (committee member) that have gone through "incorporation" to cover field trips and public liability insurance, etc, and for the financial reporting auditing that occurs, but none of them seem to have the direct strings to a Govt department that RA-Aus has. Most other clubs do not have relevant exceptions to federal laws (allowing LSA's to fly without FAR 23, etc), mandated compliance with other international laws (airspace regs) and so on tied up in their constitution or operations manual. In fact no other club I have been in HAS an operations manual mandated in their constitution, nor has there ever been a requirement legally for one. As far as I know, RA-Aus exists because of CASA, not the members. By that I mean the members did not have a "club" and then take the idea to CASA. It was due to a review of trends overseas and pressure from within Australia that it was created, which then gave "wings" to the idea of a RA-Aus type organisation under the initial guidance of CASA, and subsequently cut free to a degree to run itself. My point to all of this is that RA-Aus is in fact more like a Govt department in structure and operation and position, taking money for registration and insurance, while looking after the legals of allowing people to fly (licensing) under the rules and regulations given to it by CASA. The best analogy I could give is that it is exactly like the transport/roads department in your state (taking car rego, and in old days 3rd party insurance, drivers licensing, and roads maintenance), whilst at the same time operating under state and federal legal jurisdictions of Government (ADR legislation's for vehicles etc). Note that I am no legal expert, but have had previous dealings at committee level with clubs. It just seems odd to me.........