Al B

Cheers guys, I'll pass it on. Tomo I think you got a pretty decent deal. I like the quality of your shots, particulary the ones showing cloudbase.

A friend gave me some footage, whch I threw on youtube: [YOUTUBE]d7UMQ2rCzuY[/YOUTUBE]

Various flying scenes set to music - takeoff/landing, steep turn, beaches etc Watch Now!

Hi Ozzie, Hasn't the 750kg thing been an RAA goal for years? AUF objectives was written back in '97 and mentions it.

Hopefully, if people ignore it it will go away.

Ultralights I completely agree - Being an RAA pilot, I wear 4 stripes every time I'm at the field (they are silver at the moment - I plan to changing to gold once I get my PPL). I also wear my ASIC constantly so people know I'm a pilot. If they don't know what it is, or forget to ask me, I tell them what is it. I also have a CD containing the 'Top Gun' theme in an endless loop to play over the intercom for passengers.

Cloudsuck, I hope you're right... but "CASA has decided not to proceed with this project" Seems pretty straightforward to me. It seems to me that given the years of RAA lobbying, massive amount of member input, and overloading CASA's discussion paper with responses, we are justified to hear something more then "yeah we're not doing that now". Same with the controlled airspace endorsement. Both of these decisions deserve a proper reply explaining why CASA has changed their minds. Also, if it's because of certain problems with the RAA membership, what steps we can do to rectify things. My personal opinion is it almost sounds like someone has a grudge against the RAAus.

Civil Aviation Safety Authority - Home "Recreational Aviation Australia Inc. (RAAus) has asked CASA to establish a new legislative project to increase to 750 kg the maximum take-off weight for aircraft operating under the current CAO 95.55. CASA's CEO has indicated he has no objection in principle to an increase in the maximum weight, but that CASA would need to consult more broadly with the aviation community and assess any risks before legislative change could take place." Project Closure Notes Project closed 9 October 2009. CASA has decided not to proceed with this project."

IMO, it's a pity the RAA didn't accept the early amendment to the CAO's when it was offered - instead choosing to wait for CASR part 103. I'm sure by the time part 103 appears ultralights will have been replaced by flying cars.

Yep, it's here - I'd say it took less then a week to ship. It's a great little gadget. However, in the interest of safety, I think I should say something: Be VERY careful where you mount it! I've tried a few positions and generally had no problem. However, when I placed it on the vertical stablizer, the aircraft became slightly unstable in yaw. I don't think there was a safety issue, however it was rather unnerving. I'd hate to be landing like that in a stiff x-wind. I think as long as the camera is mounted on a wing there's not much to worry about. Personally I'd never try a stall with this camera attached. Has anyone else noticed any handling differences? Cheers, Al

Hi Tango, I just ordered one from the states, for 266AUD including freight. If I'd ordered it locally, I'd be up for 350AUD excluding freight. Hope that helps you with your decision

Thanks for the heads up - I have a new toy in the mail.

Mine was in a glider, Blanik GBJ. If you haven't seen a Blanik before, they are rather elderly metal beasts. GBJ was first registered in Australia in 1975 and showed its age. Still, it was well looked after and the multiple cosmetic cracks added to the character. I'd known my solo was coming up but had to wait for the weather to improve. After doing a few flights with an instructor I was told something to the effect of "get in, do a quick circuit, don't try to catch any thermals, and don't crash the bloody thing)" I remember doing checks, strapping in, and having Dad signal to the pilot of the tow plane "all clear". It was only after the Piper Pawnee lifted the Blanik into the air that I thought to myself "well, I have to get it down now - and I only have 1 shot to get it right". It was a short tow, to 1500 feet I think, and it seemed to finish very quickly. After releasing I began noticing every rattle and creaking noise that was otherwise masked by various instructors giving advice. Given my height I only really had time to rejoin the circuit for landing. I joined downwind and immediately felt the push of a thermal. It hurt to ignore it and continue with the landing. By the time I was about 2/3rds the way downwind I'd been pushed up to 1100 feet. I applied airbrakes a bit earlier then usual and got my height back under control. I turned tight base, then final - with my workload I didn't have time to get out a radio call. I was so busy staring at the end of the runway for my flare that I didn't even think about how there was no instructor to help me if I screwed up. As the ground approached I pulled back, back, air brakes fully out, pull back, back, oops a bit to high, back, *wump*. And although I was on the ground (with a decent landing) I was still traveling at 50Ks+ in a plane with only a single belly wheel. I kept the glider going straight down the runway with rudder, and kept the wings level with aileron. Finally I slowed enough that the ailerons lost authority, the great wings gradually tilted over and a wingtip met the ground with a clunk. It was over. I was lucky enough to have Dad take some pictures: 404 File Not Found - Vineyard Technologies, Inc. <-- This link does work, I promise - the forum software has a bug. My first power solo was a little anti-climatic in comparison. My second power solo probably had my poor instructor worried, as I did 2 go-arounds in a row. And in my first flight in a single-seater glider, I did a great series of PIOs during landing in front of most of the glider club. Ain't flying wonderful? Cheers, Al

Good stuff Brett. I'm going for it as well (PPL only that is) - I'd like controlled airspace, more passengers and aeros. I'm still in the theory cramming stage. If the stars all line up, I'll hopefully be able to do at least part of my training in an aerobatic taildragger :big_grin: Is it just me, or has the CTA endorsement failure prompted more people to go for a GA license?

I think the problem is the RAA is trying to be too many things to too many different people. We seem to have 2 groups of members without much overlap: 1) those who love 'bugs in your teeth' ultralights 2) those who want 'GA Lite' I'm not convinced it makes sense to apply the same set of rules to both. Maybe the RAA should introduce an additional type of aircraft rego (call it Recreational Sport instead of Ultralight/Microlight perhaps). That way, when some members push for CTA, aeros, 760kg, etc, any new restrictions can be tacked onto that group _only_, leaving the poor buggers who fly out of farms etc alone. Personally I am in favour of CTA etc but not at the cost of new restrictions for simpler aircraft. Edit: I kind of like the USA's rules. You can get a Sport Pilot license that lets you fly anything under XYZ kilos (with a speed limit too I believe). People with PPL's can also fly these aircraft without needing a special license. I think it's crazy that the same aircraft can be registered as GA, GFA or RAA, with only members of a certain group being able to fly it!

Can someone who saw these cowboys please send me a PM and let me know what happened? If a few idiots really did decide to ruin it for everyone and cast the RAA into disrepute, then, well, I'm disgusted. Personally I don't really care about landing at controlled airfields - I'd just love the ability to transit CTA. I was _hoping_ to get an OCTA PPL, get a CTA endo through the RAA and save 70-80 bucks an hour, then do a CTA checkride or 2 GA. Instead I've now got to do the whole #$#$ing thing at GA training prices.

Damn, I always forget that part. Al

The next number in this sequence is 123456. This is because all the numbers are obviously described by the following equation: number = 7653/8*x^5-227923/24*x^4+793679/24*x^3-1129925/24*x^2+270617/12*x + 1, where 'x' is which number you want, where the first numer is, '1', has x=0. I thought you were going to ask a hard question, like how reliable are Jabiru engines, or when are we going to introduce an RAA command instrument rating. Cheers, Al

Sorry if this has already been posted... Week 1 Monday: Rain Tuesday: Rain Wednesday: No rain; no visibility either Thursday: Take instructor to lunch. Discover I don't know enough to take instructor to lunch. Friday: Fly! Do first stall and second stall during same manoeuvre. Cover instructor with lunch. Week 2 Monday: Learned not to scrape frost off Plexiglas with ice-scraper. Used big scratch as marker to set pitch. Tuesday: Instructor wants me to stop calling throttle "THAT BIG KNOB THING." Also hates when I call instruments "GADGETS" Wednesday: Radios won't pick up radio stations, so I turned them off. Instructor seems to think I missed something. Thursday: Learned 10 degree bank is not a steep turn. Did stall again today. Lost 2000 feet. Instructor said that was some kind of record -- my first compliment. Friday: Did steep turn. Instructor said I was not ready for inverted flight yet. Week 3 Monday: Instructor called in sick. New instructor told me to stop calling her "BABE". Did steep turns. She said I had to have permission for inverted flight. Tuesday: Instructor back. He told me to stop calling him "BABE", too. He got mad when I pulled power back on takeoff because the engine was to loud. Wednesday: Instructor said after the first 20 hours, most students have established a learning curve. He said there is a slight bend in mine. Aha--progress! Thursday: Did stalls. Clean recovery. Instructor said I did good job. Also did turns around a point. Instructor warned me never to pick ex-fiancée's house as point again. Friday: Did circuit work. Instructor said that if downwind, base and final formed a triangle, I would be perfect. More praise! Week 4 Monday: First landing at a controlled field. Did fine until I told the captain in the 747 ahead of us on the taxiway to move his bird. Instructor says we'll have ground school all this week on radio procedures. Tuesday: Asked instructor if everyone in his family had turned grey at such an early age. He smiled. We did takeoff stalls. He says I did just fine but to wait until we reached altitude next time. Three Niner Juliet will be out of the shop in three days when the new strut and tyre arrive. Instructor says his back bothers him only a little. Wednesday: Flew through clouds. I thought those radio towers were a lot lower. I'm sure my instructor is going grey. Thursday: Left flaps down for entire flight. Instructor asked way. I told him I wanted the extra lift as a safety margin. More ground school. Friday: Asked instructor when I could solo. I have never seen anyone actually laugh until they cried before.

We don't need to fly over roads, or go higher then 300 feet either. If you want that, stick with GA. I'm quite happy with my single seater, 115kg max aircraft. We don't need big, heavy aircraft like the drifter in the AUF. cheers, Al, who would love to see an RAA registered touring motorglider Edit: C'mon, surely people can tell my tongue is firmly in cheek? Big, heavy drifters indeed :P

This is simply untrue - there is no reason why they would have to meet. I wish I knew where this myth came from. Please see What is Lift? Specifically, please see Incorrect Lift Theory to explain why that theory is incorrect. Cheers, Al

My father built one a few years back - it's a hell of a lot of fun. Next time I get a chance I'll take some photos, and ask him if he has any plans.

G'day all, As you know, recently the RAA has asked the membership to leave feedback regarding CASA's discussion paper "Mass Increase for Aeroplanes Administered by RAAO". You can find that paper at Discussion Paper DP 0802OS - Mass Increase for Aeroplanes Administered by RAAO I'm just curious to see how many people are taking the time to respond. The RAA believe this is a numbers game, and are urging everyone to leave their thoughts. You can bet those who are against this proposal are leaving theirs. Cheers, Al

Hi Cralis, Do you mind shooting me a PM with your email address? Personally, during training I felt the aircraft move a lot more when the instructor was demonstrating. When I was doing the same thing, I was expecting it so it didn't feel odd at all. Also, the Echo DOES have a GPS! I promise!

Hi Cralis, I'm actually a 5 minute drive from the airfield. I'm not sure how much knowledge or experience you'll get from me :) Have you been along Moreton/Stradbroke yet? That's probably the most scenic flight you can do locally. Cheers, Al