Mazda

David I know very well what the intention of the regulation is. It is in line with the US system which is airmanship based. There is absolutely no need for someone on their own farm strip in the middle of nowhere to make all those calls, and they don't - which is why it can't be mandated because it is unenforceable. If it is really busy it also may not be possible to make the calls because someone else might be making a more important call. The rule is based on airmanship. If making a call does not add to the picture of others at the field, or will stop someone making an important call, don't make it. If making the call adds to the situational awareness of those there, and isn't blocking the frequency for no reason, make the call. And always, always, make a call if you believe it will resolve a conflict.

Red, don't be afraid to ask if you don't know what is happening, it's your life on the line (the same goes for ATC), and the only mandatory radio call in CTAFs how is any call you need to make to avoid a conflict. If you are not sure what to say, use plain English. Listen to every radio call to see if there could be a conflict, and also look for the ones who may not have radio (like gliders, who may also be at non-standard heights).

Red, it happens regularly enough at various aerodromes. You need to work out which runway suits your needs and slot into that circuit, making sure there is no conflict with any other circuit. At Caboolture be careful of the runway crossing area, and you can't see the end of the other runway so try to keep awareness of what everyone is doing. At Caboolture one of the issues is the traffic mix. For example, the Mustang might want to use 12/30 and accept a crosswind, the aircraft with a low crosswind limit might need to use 06/24. The gliders get set up on one end of one runway and it takes a fair bit for them to get everything moved, so they tend to stay there for a while, even when the wind changes. Wait until you call inbound and find there are aircraft using both 30 and 12. Or when a vehicle turns onto the runway you are landing on. Yes, it does happen at YCAB. Keep situational awareness. Remember that there are meat bombers, gliders, helicopters hovering up and down both strips, people will call "ready immediate departure runway 06" when you have called lining up on 12. So listen, and remember they might be on the wrong frequency, have a dodgy radio (one of the Jabs there is shocking), or no radio, so keep a very good lookout. Be prepared to ask if you are not sure, call them up and ask their intentions. Don't enter the runway and sit there doing runups, as people at YCAB seem to do, it is the way to get landed on. There are some dodgy operations there Red so be very careful and have eyes in the back of your head.

Not so Exadios. The 'student' was a commercial pilot doing an instructor rating, and he had already undergone spin training. He used the correct rudder, but he used too much of it. He had trained in types that required full use of rudder, but this type required finesse, not aggression. The gliders I have flown needed firm use of the rudder but it is not the case in all aircraft types.

The problem with forums is that people can interpret the words here in so many ways, and some of the posts could unintentionally cause confusion. If you are a student, go up with your instructor at height and practise. If you are licensed you can do the same, just do it at height. I don't really understand the big push on here for zero G/negative G, this is just talking about an engine failure in a turn, and if that is a level normal or steep turn it is just a matter of setting best glide speed. Rolling wings level can reduce the rate of descent, but the reason I did it when it happened to me was because I thought the turn might have caused the problem (rolled into the turn, the engine stopped, so I rolled out). It is just a turn. In your training do you go to zero G when rolling out of a normal turn? If you have cruise speed you may wish to stay level, or convert speed to height on the way to getting your glide speed, rather than pushing closer to the ground and gaining speed. When you roll wings level with aileron from a gliding turn does the aircraft enter a spin? No? Then why would it do so after the engine has failed? Just go to best glide speed and fly it as you normally would. When climbing out after take off of course speed is the issue and once again it is a matter of getting the glide speed, but in this case it is lowering the nose. And for those who are keen on 'beat up' style holding it down then heaving the nose up, the steeper the climb out, the more you have to push over to get that speed. Also be careful with being 'aggressive' with rudder, just use rudder as required. I remember someone being 'aggressive' with rudder during a wing drop and he put us into an unintentional spin then froze. One more thing, engines don't like going negative either, unless designed for that purpose. Although if it is has seized that is the least of your concerns. Now I have put too many words here too! Just go up with your instructor and fly.

It's not that hard, even a girl can do it. It's much easier now too, way back in the dark ages when I did it we had to do all of the exams on one day, so we couldn't study one subject at a time.

I have had the engine go quiet in a 60 degree turn, I set it up in a wings level glide and did checks. Fortunately for me the engine restarted, the problem was a faulty fuel cap. I would not like to speculate on what happened over Lake Jindabyne, I wasn't there, and comments made in hindsight won't bring them back.

Echo, echo, echo.

That is true, but I don't know why anyone would choose to do PPL without CTA!

I believe it will be different to a GFPT, which is not a licence. GFPT holders are student pilots and still need a dual check every 15 hours.

For the price of a new Sportstar you could have a fleet of 3 low wing GA 2 seaters. Mine has a canopy with fantastic visibility, a Lycoming up the front, NVFR and aerobatic. You could buy one like that, upgrade it to IFR, overhaul the engine, do your instrument rating and aerobatics training and still have change.

Red, as much as people can give you some advice on here you are going to need to go up with a good instructor and sort this out, plus some hours. There is much to do in a circuit, in around 6 minutes, climbs, climbing turn, level turn, S & L, descending turn, descending, and that is not even taking into consideration lookout, checks, radio calls and landing. It's a lot. So let your instructor do some of the work until you get the hang of it, like the radio. Make sure your instructor has given you a really thorough circuit briefing of exactly what you will do at every stage of the circuit, and how you correct any issues. Learn your pre-landing checks off by heart, and don't rush them. The circuit involves things you know (climbing/descending, S & L), but make sure you are told the spacing to look for. On landing, make sure your instructor gives you definite instructions on where to look and what to look for, but with your height it may be a different picture to your instructor. You can slow things down by not doing too many things at once, such as climbing to circuit height before turning downwind if at all possible. Later on you can combine things together to bring the circuits in nice and tight. In fast aircraft it is pretty normal to put down a first stage of flap late downwind, abeam the landing threshold, but use whatever technique you have been taught. The Toowoomba Aero Club is very good. I know it is a long way, but I did some flying there because I found them to be very clear and very helpful. The drive is cheaper than extra dual hours. Do make sure you find an aircraft to fit you, I fly GA so can't comment on appropriately sized RA-Aus aircraft, people here may have some good ideas. In GA your weight would give more leeway for carrying fuel than with the low weight limit of RA-Aus, and Cessnas do seem to be made for the tall.

Whereabouts DJP?

About 10 years ago CASA put out a brochure about safety ratings of aircraft and it has merit in my view. Passengers have a right to be informed, and when that extends to fare paying passengers (joy flights etc) it is imperative that they understand the level of safety. While we understand the differences in aircraft categories, some people really do think we all have parachutes, air traffic control (with radar) is everywhere, and ALL types of flying are safer than driving (because the media says flying is safer). The truth is that private flights are much riskier. I don't think it is a bad thing to let people know, especially if it adds to the 'adventure' of the flight. In these times of being wrapped in cotton wool, many people are seeking that little bit of adventure. They probably couldn't wait to tell people if they few in an aircraft built in their mate's garage!

The AOPA Airfield directory has lots of information, although not specific for B&Bs, cafes etc. Wasn't there a thread started ages and ages ago with suggsted places to fly with cafes/accommodation etc? A new one could be started, with people adding their favourite places.

If you want to do aerobatics, do the training and fly an aircraft which has been specifically designed for the task, and there is more to that than the load it can take before breaking. There are plenty of certified aerobatic aircraft available, why not use those?

Ultralights, which beach is that?

How about flying to Cessnock and staying at any of the Hunter Valley places? There is a motel on the airport but it isn't very flash and there are lots of other really nice accommodation options. There is a lot to do (or not do) in the Hunter.

The law is very clear in that there is no published minima, and this is where airmanship comes in. The HASELL checks include height sufficient to recover by ... whatever that may be for you. If your school says stall at a height sufficient to recover by 3000' AGL, that is what you should do. If you are relatively inexperienced, height is a good thing. I remember doing some stalling training in a benign stalling aircraft with another commercial pilot (with spinning experience) so we elected to do our plain ordinary level power on stalls at the height we were at, I can't remember now, maybe 2000 or so. The other pilot was flying and he booted in full rudder when we had a minor wing drop, then did nothing when things started to get ugly. I took over and recovered, but that is probably why the schools (and CASA) recommend 3000'. If this commercial pilot who had done spin recovery training could do that, so could an ab initio student. For interest, in the USA their aeros are down to 1500' as standard, not like 3000' here, but people are still permitted to do aeros above 3000' of course, or higher. It becomes a personal limitation, just like having a personal crosswind limit which may be below the published figure for the aircraft type.

CAO 20.11, under 14, briefing of passengers.

Nice whale photos. What beach is that?

While a valid point about the dangers of slipping uncovering the fuel pick up, this is type dependent and it does not affect all aircraft. Some aircraft will happily slip for long distances with no problems, some have flap limitations, others do not. The only advice here is to know the limitations of your aircraft type. My technique is to initially allow the aircraft to weathercock into wind (crab) to counteract drift while maintaining wings level with aileron. At some point* on final, positively apply rudder to align the aircraft with the runway and use opposite aileron to lower the into wind wing to counteract drift. Keep the aircraft aligned with the runway with the rudder, if the aircraft drifts modify the amount of aileron. Maintain this configuation through the flare and touch down. The into wind main will touch first. During the roll out, progressively increase the amount of aileron into wind and stay straight with rudder. *So where is the transition from crab to slip? It depends. For someone learning crosswinds I recommend doing it early so you have time to see how your inputs affect the approach. Set it up far enough out so you can see what is happening. For more experienced pilots it can be later, but it is better to do it early than make a mess of it in the flare and land with sideways forces on the gear.

I used the ATC books for CPL and found them to be OK. For more detail on aerodynamics, Mechanics of Flight by Kermode is good. Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators is not that easy to read and it is a bit disjointed. The Fly Better texts can be downloaded free and they are good.

I think it would be difficult to find a Pitts that hasn't been crashed! Apart from the one in OME's hangar of course. Best wishes to Phil for a speedy recovery.

What about updates on AIRAC dates? Will chart updates be downloadable and what is the expected cost for this?