AM397

But wasn't he actually out of it for more than ten minutes? I doubt "non-prescription over-the-counter nasal decongestant" does that. And, btw, are that nasal spray actually available in Australia, and are dextro-meth used in Australia, or are we only talking the US?

That's a good summary, Andy :)

I realise the limited liability is not solely directed at me, and that is lucky, because I don't know enough about it to make an informed comment on it. I can gather it would be more expensive, and I figure a change to auch a thing won't help much, unless you get rid of all the bad apples. And, that if it's made into such a construction, what can the members do about crappy governance, Cronyism or what else might be there?

That looks like a great little plane - it looks ideal for aerial photography sessions.

FactHunter, It may very well be naive, but it's late here (as in really late), and being a journalist by trade, dumbing a question down is a good way of getting people to explain things, often in no uncertain terms. I note that it worked here too, but unlike when I'm working, I do appreciate the answer, and there might just be someone else out there who can use your answer to make a better decision if the question comes up in earnest.

Super, TB

Fair enough, I guess. It's just that Casa still has the power to shut down Ra-Aus as they have more or less done - on the basis of Ra-Aus not doing their job to Casa's standards. So, being devils advocate, it seems a lot like having to live up to Casa's standard as an organisation, yet being unable to do it, resulting in train wrecks like this, so the "freedom" gained is null and void. However, I will concede that it might not be the best option to come under Casa's administration and have them do proper paperwork, so let's see if the members can be a force to re-align RA-Aus. Perhaps one could argue for a compromise of sorts, since Casa are helping Ra-Aus to meet their demands. Perhaps it would be possible for someone to contact Casa directly and see if they can get some info from them, since Ra-Aus aren't very informative?

There were particulars I didn't know. I'm not whining at all. I'm reading all this, old threads and whatnot and I see a trend, which should be obvious to everyone, considering I am able to pick up on it. Tell me exactly where I "whine"? Come now. Once again, show me exactly where I whine. From what has been happening in RA-Aus with its utter lack of competence, utter lack of transparency, and utter lack of willingness to communicate, it's only fair to compare that organisation as it is at present to other places, where incompetence, lack of transparency and unwillingness to communicate is how things are "done". Perhaps unlike you, I prefer to do my research before committing. Especially something as big as this. I don't want to go blindly into a commitment, just because I "can't possible know what it's like unless I have paid for a membership". I don't go into a plastic surgeon that has shown himself to be utterly incompetent and is on probation for dodgy work. To argue that I must be part of it before I can assess the competencies is as ridiculous as suggesting I need to be attempted to be excluded, before I can assess if it's bad or not when the CEO attempts to stop someone like Ian from renewing his membership (and thereby de facto stopping him from flying). I don't complain. My posts on these matters have not been complaints. They have been my assessment of this farce. As for you having been a member for a year. Well, lucky you It's not just this thread. Look at older threads too. Look at how RA-Aus is actually handling things (or not, as it were), look at how they're in effect under administration because of how they have been (mis-)managing the organisation. Good for you. And with any luck, you might avoid being grounded because of their incompetence. But hey, you can fly at the moment, right? Appparently I seem to have a better grasp of what is happening than you. Perhaps it's because I'm not entrenched, nor have any misplaced loyalty to an organisation who has shown themselves to be utterly incapable of managing themselves and their members.

Will do. By then we'll probably have a GoPro Hero 17 with a 64 megapixel resolution, he he.

I'm not quite sure I feel safe with weapons about, to be honest. But that's another discussion, lol.

Thanks, djpacro! That eases my mind a bit :)

I'm sorry, but blaming the members for not being able to vote in the right people is unfair. The problem is, that RA-Aus has been less than forthcoming when it comes to divulging details of occuring problems, or in fact, most any information at all. How would the average member know, not only that there was a problem, but what kind of problem and who was responsible without any information to go on at all? Seriously, blaming the members in this farce is bull as far as I'm concerned, and it sure as heck won't motivate people to become more active and vote, if the blame for RA-Aus incompetence is shifted to them.

Ah, okay. I guess in the case of going flying in bear country it's better to not tell them at all, then. I can't think of how a gaffer taped piece of "equipment" (pepper spray) would ever be approved, even if it's gaffer taped on the strut near the fuselage or something, and it would be quite dangerous to keep the pepper spray inside the cockpit/cabin in case it popped. On a related note, I can't believe I'm thinking on how to avoid the rules, but it seems this is an exception of sorts, should I ever be flying in bear country (which I hope I will, one day).

I was hoping for more than what you were able to muster, and actually be told why. You know: An actual, formed argument that might be able to convince me.

No, like Italy, who jails scientists for not being able to warn precisely about coming earth quakes. Like Italy, where corruption is widespread. Like Italy, where nepotism is everywhere, like Italy where it matters nought what you know or can, but know the right people, and you're hired. That Italy.

For every gaffe, disaster, ignorant decision-making, and whatever else catastrophe oozing seeminly endlessly from RA-Aus, I'm so glad I don't have a plane yet. If I were to buy one right now, I'd buy a VH one and avoid an RA-Aus plane like the plague. Now, I don't say that to be smug or something, I'm frankly appalled at what is happening here. It's run (or not) like a business in the third world. Well, or Italy. It's a farce with possible disastrous consequences. I have to admit I'm not entirely sure CASA controlling things wouldn't be a good thing at this point. I know, they're "bad", but since they sit with the off-on switch, and RA-Aus themselves doesn't seem capably of hammering a stick into a sh!t without destroying both, and does it continuously with no sense of reality. I don't think it would be such a bad idea, if it at least would bring actual management to the organisation, or am I completely off my rocker?

That is really impressive!

I want a plane named "Molly". And a small pinup painted above it.

"mor" means "mum" in Danish.

Well, I'm following this thread. I hope people are as inventive as the boating people!

They can be, but I'd much rather rely on a real plb (spot is neither a PLB, nor an EPIRB), which I already do when I'm out rowing (I row on the sea). The basic differences between an EPIRB and a PLB is that the former will have to be able to float and keep transmitting for at least 48 hours. The latter only has to do it 24 hours and does not need to be able to float. A SPOT could very well run out of batteries when you need it the most, and there are plenty of stories of them failing. A good thing (sort of) is the ability to message/track with it (that is, until it doesn't work, the satellite has a short outage or something, leaving people to needlessly worry). So, although much better than nothing, the SPOT is a very different type of animal, it even goes through private satellites/private company, who then contacts rescue services in the country it was activated.

I hope that will happen to me too. I'm a perfectionist, so there's a good chance of that. In any case, I'd fly with you any day. I don't mind waiting at all, when there's a reason to wait.

I thought it would be something like this:

Would that include having a pepper spray gaffer taped to the strut?

I was hoping to be able to build my own hangar. Either as a "shed" if the land I buy is big enough to land on, or perhaps I could buy a small piece of land next to a "proper" airstrip to build a hangar on. It will probably be the latter, since I need fast internet to be able to work, and I therefore need to build the house in a somewhat "civilised" area (I'm thinking of the rollout of NBN). If I don't have a fast internet, I'll have trouble up- and downloading video for editing. If I have to make a guess, I'd say that about 40 percent of my income is video editing. I haven't thought of microlights at all. Yes, they look like fun, but I think I prefer something a bit more sheltered than the typical microlight I have seen.