Mazda

Hi Andy, your interpretation of the intention re last light is correct. You must PLAN to be on the ground 10 mins before last light. By law you do not have to be on the ground 10 mins before last light. However, if a circuit takes about 6 minutes or so, that 10 min buffer only gives you one go around. There are also alternate minima criteria based on forecasts. Having said that, having your own personal limit above the regulations is a good idea. Perhaps your own personal minima might be to allow sufficient time for a diversion. I wouldn't like to plan to arrive only 10 mins before last light unless it was a short flight on a sparkling clear CAVOK day, or if I had a current night VFR or instrument rating. It would pay to give yourself a bit more time so you are not caught out. On the circuit entry, the ruling states that IF you choose to overfly, it should be 500 ft above the ACTIVE circuit. So if you are flying to a country strip with no RFDS, RPT or high performance aircraft, you can overfly 500' above circuit height. Even if the airport has RPT etc, you can still overfly at 500' above your circuit height if there are no high performance aircraft at the time. You'll know that from looking and listening. Look for high performance traffic in the high circuit, and listen out for any radio calls. RPT pilots make mistakes too, don't assume they will be on frequency so do look out. If unsure, you can overfly 1000' above, but remember a quick descent at low power settings isn't that great for the engine. Remember too that you don't NEED to overfly either. If you can establish the circuit direction in use or you have a good indication of wind (eg AWIS, local smoke etc), you can join directly on crosswind, downwind, base, final etc. If you are not sure though, do fly over and check the windsock.

Congratulations!

It's not rocket science guys. The new rules are all about commonsense and more freedom. If you are flying a slow aircraft, join the circuit at 500' and stay there. The requirement to turn final no less than 500m from the aerodrome boundary has gone. The recommendation is to turn final by 500' AGL, but even that is a recommendation and you could turn final lower than that if required. So stay nice and close!

WACs don't have a 6 month currency, they are issued as required, there might be years between issues.

This is from Sharp End, who flew the Lightning. He said he has nothing to say, other than they are not civilian aircraft.

Shags for YCAB you can use VTC/VNC. I think Warwick is on the VNC. The WAC has better topographical informtion than the other visul charts so it is good to have nd they don't change often. It hs no airspce though, so you'll need VNC/VTC and/or ERC low to cover the flight. If you are outside coverage of VTC or VNC you will need WAC and ERC.

I don't have sound on the video. When was that?

Maj, I disagree. Landing with failed brakes is one thing, and we must deal with situations like that. Starting up, doing run ups, using busy taxiways at a fly in with spectators, other aircraft etc with no brakes is unnecessary and poor airmanship.

Sorry guys, I'm not with you on this one at all. Yes, things fail. If your brakes fail on landing you do need to deal with it. But to taxi and take off again knowing you have failed brakes is at the least poor airmanship and at the worst it is just negligence. Using the engine failure analogy, yes, engines fail, but if you had a partial engine failure you wouldn't go flying again without having the engine looked at, would you?

Personally I would not have flown it back knowing the brakes had failed. I've had brake failures before and chosen not to fly. Was there anyone at Monto who could have fixed it there? Could you have got a lift back to Dalby in another aircraft if you had to get home? Getting clearance from the owner to fly it back isn't enough - you are responsible for your own fate, and that of your passengers. Fortunately it worked out safely this time, but things could have gone wrong. What may have happened if someone had wandered in front of the aircraft when you were trying to do run ups for example? Or what about if you couldn't hold at the holding point when another aircraft was holding or landing? Maybe you have reached a level of experience which enabled you to get home safely this time, but please don't think that will be the case in every situation. Remember the saying, "A superior pilot uses his or her superior judgment to avoid situations that may require his or her superior skill." :) Anyway, take it as a learning experience, it looks as though you have. :thumb_up:

Any school doing instructor ratings should be able to do one. You don't have to be doing your rating at the school to do the PMI.

Sorry JR, I meant all the aircraft flying on navexs from Archerfield will have their radios removed so they can fly to Casino! There is only one mandatory call from 3 June anyway!

I can see it now. All the Casino operators will be rushing to their LAMEs to pay to have their radios removed because they are no longer required.

Rembember there is no transponder requirement in Class G and D (and current GAAP).

What a shame. Have they said why?

I've had all the carnets and have had all sorts of problems with Shell for some months. The old card expired and the agents didn't replace it. As Shell was the only provider at the airfield I had to fly out to get fuel. Eventually Shell advised they had taken over and issued a card, but only valid for a short time. We were then told like others here that the minimum requirement wasn't being met and it would go to credit card. However the bowser is still not credit card, the local provider is not happy, and the local hoons will be happy. Avgas is not supposed to be sold for non-aviation purposes, but anyone can walk into the airport with a jerry can and buy avgas when the change takes place.

Well done Pradeep. It is possible to pass all of the aviation exams with self-study if you work at it!

Kaz, it means if you have a conflict on downwind, you make a call there, even if it is not a recommended call. If you don't make a call if a collision risk exists, the outcome could be far worse than being held accountable for a violation of CAR 166. It is about airmanship.

I'm so sad that he's gone.

This is a major change for Australia because it is a cultural change to encourage airmanship rather than mandating how we tie our shoelaces. From 3 June, the ONLY mandatory CTAF call is any call you make if you believe a conflict exists. That's it. So that could be a downwind, a level, anything to avoid a conflict. The recommended calls have gone down to number 7, but it relies on you, the pilot in command, to use your judgment. If you are flying in to your own strip in the middle of nowhere with no traffic around, there is no legal requirement to make any call at all, and you can join on base or final should you so wish. However, if there is traffic, it would be good airmanship to make inbound and joining calls, and whatever is required. You don't have to blindly call turning base just because the AIP says so, it might be better in some cases to call at another part of the circuit. It will be up to you to decide the best way to join the circuit and the best calls to make. Has everyone received the information? CASA has sent it out to GA pilots. The CASA website also has an e-learning course for CTAFs and Class D.

Congratulations Flighty!

I typed a reply and it disappeared! An abbreviated version. G meters are great but they are not always the answer. If you fly around and do level steep turns of less than 60 degrees, you won't have a problem, that's 2gs. To do a loop in a Citabria takes about 3gs. In a competition you might want a bit more than that. But if you are flying around pulling 4gs while not doing aeros you are probably up to no good or in a bit of trouble. As for the pilot, pulling 4gs for a second or so is not the same as a sustained 4gs. Even if you pull well over 4gs for a second or so the pilot is unlikely to grey out. Also consider transitional G - going from negative to positive gs is not kind on the pilot, or on the airframe. Imagine a rag wing aircraft (with wires and tubes) bunting over, with zero or negative G, the wires etc are slack. If you suddenly apply positive G, to the wires it is like cracking a whip. The rapid onset of G can result in structural failure and the G-meter may not show any over stressing. An all metal aluminium riveted aircraft with loose rivets can suffer the same fate. A pilot going from negative to positive G is much more likely to suffer the effects of G, including G-LOC. One important thing to consider is rolling G. If you are rolling, you should only pull G equivalent to 2/3rds of the published aircraft G limit to avoid overstressing the aircraft. So if your aircraft limit is +4g, when rolling if you pull more than about 2.5g, you are exceeding the G limit of the aircraft. A G meter won't help you there either. Aerobatics training goes through all of this. So please don't muck around without appropriate training. If you want to pull g and fly aeros, get the training and do it properly. Otherwise stay within the normal limits.

Tomo I have one as my spare GPS. You know you can enter user waypoints don't you?

Shags for GFPT a GA pilot needs 20 hours including 5 hours solo and 2 hours instrument time. It isn't a licence, the pilot is still a student pilot and requires a dual check at least every 15 hours. Students can fly night circuits. To achieve PPL, the minimum is 40 hours of flight time including 5 hours in command general flying, 5 hours in command cross country, 2 hours instrument. There are specific requirements on the lengths of the navs. They are the minimums, the real hours each person takes will differ.

Darky I think you are heading for the GA tests. CASA publishes a Day VFR syllabus which has the requirements and if you study the standard GA books (like the ATC ones) that should get you through. And don't forget to ask your instructor!!!! :thumb_up: