68volksy

Best guess for me - did 24hours and GFPT pre-flight with ATO and then gave it all away for 2 years (work issues). Now I hang around and been flying only when there's a cancellation and no other students waiting (for about 3 years) so up around the 60 hours but no GFPT... Interesting to see so many with minimum hours being set loose. Not often the bureaucrats get something like this so close to spot on? Also like to see a first solo poll as a good 16hours of my first 24 were with my instructor chained firmly to the right seat (I passed on her offer several times before I let her get out)!

A big yes for me. Having only entered the industry 6 years ago it was immediately apparent that there were two very distinct and competing "groups" in the RA-Aus. First group was what i'd term the "traditional ultralight" flyers. The guys out there in their rag-and-tube, home builts and low-cost kits. Then there was the new breed of ultralight guys who took great advantage of the opportunity and started to develop the all-new fast and expensive, yet still ultralight, aircraft that obviously seem to currently carry the majority of the vote in RA-Aus. These two groups need to be seperated in the same manner that RA-Aus was originally separated from the GA regime. It's a no-brainer from where I sit. Your average Drifter/X-Air pilot/owner has about as much interest in a weight increase for RA-Aus aircraft as your average Tecnam/Jabiru owner has in research into the latest fabric wing coverings. However with that said CASA is working to cut a bit of the wind out of the sails of the fast-and-expensive end of RA-Aus with the RPL and other changes on the way. Maybe in the future the fast-and-expensive guys might find the tables turned and they're once again at the mercy of the cheap-and-cheerful end of the spectrum?

The late Dick Nell (RIP) had one here in Goulburn for many years - his "daily driver" essentially. It was relocated to a strip outside of town after the new airport lessee tried to charge him $7500 for the right to pull it out of his hanger a short time ago. It will probably be out that way for a while now as the strip was described by Dick himself as "marginal" and there's probably not many around with a skillset such as his to get it out again safely... It was nicknamed "Magpie" and was a very nice looking aircraft indeed.

There's a J170 at Goulburn that's fully kitted out. Owned by a guy who retails a lot of the systems so it's a bit of a "display wall" I suppose. I must say it does look unbelievable - kind of like the "tech guy" rooms on the NCIS-type shows! I love the look of some of the integrated altimeter/VSI/ASI displays out there. That said at the end of it all I reckon the instruments are all basically gimmicks really. I remember being made to fly half a dozen circuits by my instructor some years ago with everything entirely covered up (I was spending too much time "inside the cockpit"). Don't really need any of it if you're comfortable in the aircraft you're flying. For me i'm happy with the basic 6-pack of little dials. Don't have the time to invest in all the latest wizz-bangs but i'm more than happy floating around trying to figure out where I am on a map. Some fishermen have thousands of dollars worth of GPS-tracking electric trolling motors, full-colour depth sounders and rods/reels worth thousands of dollars but for my enjoyment it's a simple tinny and a thermos. Same goes with my flying.

Hmmm.... Problem would be wrestling them off the dogette but that could work.

BBQ day tomorrow!! Weather: Mostly sunny. Frost early in the morning. Light winds. Max 13 degrees. Weather forecast like that in August/September at Goulburn is rare indeed - let alone on a Saturday. Would it be too much for me to wish sickness upon a student so that I might get a chance to go flying? I've been ever so patient...

And anyone that doesn't believe you have to push yourself to your absolute limits everytime you fly is immediately labelled a "wimp"? One thing I can guarantee you - those of us happy to sit in the club house or wash their planes waiting for a good day are doing a lot less damage to the flying fraternity nowadays than those who are constantly pushing the limits of their abilities and their machines! I have also observed that the ones pushing the limits constantly also seem to be the ones complaining the loudest about ever-increasing legislative interference in this sport. Interference that would not exist if they hadn't been pushing those limits.

Another consideration often overlooked in the RA-Aus hours counting towards CPL discussion is the view taken by future employers in the GA arena. It's enough to say most of them will probably be laughing as they throw your CV into the bin if you've got only 100 hours in GA planes on the commercial licence. Especially as the 100 hours is generally split between several aircraft to meet the conditions as mentioned above. Most logical argument is to figure out what you want to fly and then spend as much time in that aircraft type as possible.

No chance of going flying and the Instructor should probably have their licence revoked in my view! The level of stupidity the instructor is passing on to their student is unbelievable in these instances - seen it happen too many times. Last weekend the local ATO was up for a days flying with a few students but wasn't happy with the conditions so he and the other instructor called the flying off. Then happily sipped on a cup of tea whilst describing another local instructor taxing out as "heroic"! Given there's a good chance he'll be doing the students flight tests in the future they're not doing themselves any favours by showing so blatantly an inability to judge weather conditions... No-one has to go flying in bad weather! It's good to get a little experience but the focus in training should teach people when it is safe/comfortable to fly and when it is not. I'm sick of stories of idiots merrily flying off into bad weather or darkness and killing themselves and their passengers when it's so blatant to those with any sense they should never have left the ground! It's all well and good to mount the "what if we get caught in bad weather" argument but it makes so much more sense to be able to see clearly the bad weather approaching and get out of the damn way. The other option is to keep on pushing the limits and forever be remembered as "the idiot" that trundled out into a gusting 15-21 knot crosswind in their little 40 year old Cessna 150 and then managed to twist on landing, bang a wing, spring a fuel leak and kill all on board. In my view that's the result we should be getting ourselves as far away from as possible!

ATC are a great resource indeed. One of the guys at the airport tells the story of getting caught out in the VFR into IMC conditions. He had the sense/training to flip straight over to ATC and whilst he concentrated on keeping the wings level they provided headings and altitudes to get him around/over the hills where he was and into the sunny weather again.

Not necessarily true - we've got a couple of guys over 6 feet in the Gazelle and a couple of the "big boned" variety. Just takes a little more effort getting in but once seated they all talk of being quite comfy (once they're in). Helps if the instructor's slim though!

That news just gave me goosebumps!!! Never have I seen a stronger or simpler ultralight trainer than the little Gazelle. I'll be lining up for a new one!

Welcome Dennis! There's a couple of guys heading up to Tumut from Goulburn. One of them did the Kosciuszko flight a couple of weeks ago and the photos they brought back were spectacular! Great time of year to fly over those mountains (even if a little on the chilly side).

Love the Nynja! I'll be the guy you'll need to gently ask to stop caressing their firm little fuselages...

Good old fashioned stuntwork!!!!! None of this computer-generated bull$#%t that's everywhere now. I think it was the movie "2012" that absolutely disposed of all notions of aerodynamics and for me really cemented the end of real flying in movies...

We've got 4 planes lining up to head over from Goulburn so far. Looking forward to it!

You got nothing! Been "learning" for 5 years now. Did pre-GFPT flight with ATO about 4 years ago and he said I was good to pass my test. Then weather canned one test booking, then the next, then for some (stupid?) reason got "involved" with the damn school owner and now heavily involved in day-to-day operations and recent expansions. That's cutting a long story very short but net result is very little flying for me for 4 years! Sure i get the occasional "I've had a cancellation - you ready for a fly?" moments but they're never regular enough to get things together to get right back up to speed. And there i was thinking over the candlelit dinners in those early months "This is awesome - I'm going to get to fly whenever I want if i keep seeing this girl. She has her own aircraft - this is so cool! And they're tax deductible! (shoot me - i'm an accountant after all)" My problem is the schools local operation is booked solid with all 3 instructors taking bookings usually 4-6 weeks in advance. They're working their absolute butts off trying to keep on top of things and have been for years. I'm too nicer guy I suppose but it breaks my heart to make a booking knowing full well i'm pushing an enthusiastic student out! So for me it's making bookings, keeping the BBQ gas bottle full, cleaning and refuelling aircraft and gazing wistfully out the windows in the office with coffee in hand...

If you find yourself a flying school and have a flying instructors rating your options open up a little. Whilst still not allowed to do "joy flights" pretty much all schools provide TIF's which they charge for without a worry. Even saw one operator in Wanaka NZ who advertises "You fly scenic flights" which skirts around the issue but technically probably falls inside the legality of things. An instructors rating's pretty much the only way you're going to make a dollar out of an RA-Aus licence.

An interesting argument I must admit I hadn't considered. I have seen it argued the other way though as the majority of RA-Aus training at the school is in a Gazelle. If there's a simpler aircraft out there to fly I don't believe I've seen it. To step into the Warrior takes getting used to a great deal of differences - flaps, mixture, 35 knots quicker, much lower drag and much different circuit behavior and pattern. That's a lot to take in for a 15-25 hour pilot! There is a very strong view on ultralight hours in the commercial world from my experience unless your focus is on RA-Aus instruction.

Had a jaunt in a Storm Rally and the school now has a J170 online although I haven't had a fly of it as yet. The J170 does tend to confuse the conversation further I must admit.

I have often been involved in conversations with people about the path they're taking to their PPL. The conversation usually starts with "Is it cheaper to get my RA-Aus licence and then convert across to a PPL". The straight-up answer is "Yes - the maths are really not that hard to do!" The question keeps getting asked however even though it's a real no-brainer on the surface. I've realised that (most?) people aren't asking the question because they're incapable of doing the simple maths. They're asking it to gain feedback on the quality of their instructor in some instances but in most instances they seem to be asking it because they think it can't be that simple. The topic is indeed not that simple. People asking generally have extremely limited knowledge of the different aircraft types and the different options that each type presents. They are also (mostly) approaching their flying school to give them a strong footing in what is perceived from the outside as a rather dangerous sport. Most give their instructors the respect that (most of? - again) them deserve and take note of what is said. Some pull their ego over their heads and forge onward regardless (ah the joys of the aviation faternity!). The most common-sense answer I believe I have heard over the years is a simple "experience counts" answer - ie "Learn to fly the aircraft you actually want to fly and spend most of your time in that aircraft". I know it's worked for me - i'm still learning new things about the Warrior and am developing an "ear" for how the machine works. Wondering what arguments others might present when faced with such a question.

I'm a huge advocate of hiring aircraft. Simple case of amortising the costs of running the aircraft over greater hours means the hourly cost is a lot cheaper. Takes a lot of hours hiring the school's Gazelle at $135/hour to even come close to breaking even on the ownership case. I also believe that a well used aircraft is a safer aircraft in many respects as it's getting more regular servicing and not sitting around rotting. Having seen the running costs of quite a few aircraft over many years and some of the bills that come up from time to time the only rational choice is to hire. If you find yourself a great organisation where the aircraft are treasured by all who fly them then you can achieve a sense of ownership without forking out the big bucks.

Air Force/Army recommend keeping your flying to an absolute minimum before signing up - nothing they hate more than having to "untrain" pilots from the GA processes/mindset and retrain them in the Defence force processes. My school has 2-3 recruits signed up for the RAAF and Army who've gone through the initial testing up at Tamworth and are waiting to start training. Talking to one last week and one this week and they were instructed very clearly to keep their flying to GFPT or below. They fly every few weeks to try to keep their reflexes up and because they simply love it. There are another two of them yet to undertake the preliminary training who are doing Aerobatic "Joy Flights" up at Camden to see how they cope with high G loadings. The preliminary training is pretty full-on from what one of them was telling me. They don't bother teaching them much about circuits, just 10-15 hours of throwing them around in CT4's and gauging how quickly they pick things up. Mustn't forget though that the Air Force and the Army both have fleets of supply planes, recon planes and light jets also that require pilots. Getting yourself a seat in an F18 takes an enormous amount of hard work and even more pure talent.

If you have a couple of minutes it would be worthwhile to send the director of CASA an email about this. There's a "Feedback to the Director" option on the front page of their website - www.casa.gov.au. Talking to a few CASA people and even some of them have taken the time to email him. Results from the Safety Promotions area being told they'd lost $900,000 of next years budget and the printing costs for the mag cam to around $700,000 from what i'm told so it was a decision that was pretty much made for them...

Simple solution to all this is to ring Airservices on 1800 026 147. You should find they're only too happy to take advice - and in most cases actually need the advice. I heard the story of some idiot ringing them and whingeing over an airstrip that hadn't existed for over 20 years appearing on a map. Once someone actually rang them to tell them it was removed on the next edition. Airservices couldn't believe it had taken 20 years for someone to let them know! I'd also recommend being polite also - these guys are here to help us.