dsam

G'day and welcome to the forum. Sounds like you are starting out the right way, and with the right attitude for a dedicated effort. The reward of accomplishment flows in equal measure to the effort you put in, but fun is also a major component too. Best wishes for your flying future.

My first flight was in 1969 in a DC3 as a 13 year old Air Cadet in Canada. Two years later I did my first solo in a glider, and by 18 I got my PPL in a Cessna 150 - Again all thanks to Air Cadets and their extensive training. We were using ex-WW2 Link trainers, Cutaway radial engines, Aerial Photography enlargers & print driers etc. All grass roots learning for me. I was infected with an enthusiasm for flying then, and could only afford to get back to flying after I retired a couple years ago. Luckily the skills & safety practices learned all those years ago stick with me today. Somehow I remain buoyed with a sense of accomplishment following each flight I make these days, and look forward to each one as a new adventure, and a challenge to improve my skills. Long may it remain so.

Yet we allow politicians to get away with distractions like Knighthoods, or the issue of becoming a republic (my personal opinion = Yes) when the real political questions go un-answered by the major parties. How poor is the level of political wisdom these days!

From a documentary I saw a while ago, I believe the phrase: 'over-sexed, over-paid and over here' was bandied about. I don't doubt there was a lot of mixed feelings surrounding the US military presence at the time. I seem to remember "over-ranked" sometimes added this phrase, as they tended to be one or two notches in rank above equivalent-talent compared to the Aussie/UK/Canadian military of the period.

For what it is worth, here is where my Eurofox sleeps in its den...

Anyone have a valid legal opinion about whether a Class Action against CASA would be viable and/or advisable?

I concur. My iPad 2 + 3G is on a knee board. It starts fully charged and is on a charger shortly after take off. I have an iPhone also with ozrunways, as back up + paper ERSA. No overheat on knee pad despite sunny outback conditions. Must admit iPad2 is tardy with latest iOS. Planned obsolesence? Gotta hate that! Must get latest iPad and throw away paper ERSA... Grumbling about silicon valley money vacuum...

Ok, it looks like courtesy of Google I've found the answer to most of my questions about Opal fuel: http://www.bp.com/en_au/australia/products-services/fuels/opal-fuel/opal-faqs.html It seems it is only 91 octane rating. Too low for my Rotax 912ULS. The above link seems to indicate that Premium unleaded should still be available but only via a locked pump. I guess I'll need to convince the pump operator I'm not planning to sniff it during my pre-flight

Thanks robinsm and spacesailor! Will now be checking my 98 premium. Anyone know about Opal fuel? I have considered going to some rather remote areas, and am concerned only Opal will be available. If so, I'd need to know what I'm dealing with in terms of octane and ethanol content.

Perhaps I missed something earlier in the thread. Just what is the "simple test" for ethanol please robinsm? Also, is Opal only supplied as a low octane fuel? Do they supply a high octane Opal? Any ethanol in Opal?

Ian, I agree that the trend is away from desktop & laptop computers and strengthening towards code for touch screen interfaces on various tablets. New developments should start with that in mind. Your radical change sounds most exciting, and as an ageing techie/geek I share your enthusiasm. Just a word of caution though... Test your prototypes early, using a range of people - not just like-minded techies. Try the mother-in-law, the neighbour across the street, random friends... I know it is aimed at aviation bods, but feedback from a variety of people will inevitably turn up things with the interface you've never noticed could be a problem, plus other issues stemming from a range of user platforms & operating systems. Oversights like this when spotted early can save grief later on. Again, you probably know all this, but I wanted to share some of my hard-won experience with you in case it helps :-) Happy designing... Dave (dsam)

Understood. "Post Reply" could trigger a search of their post and pop-up suggested (correctly spelled) keywords that the poster could tick yes/no to, prior to accepting submission. Perhaps limiting the concept to a thread-post system of contributor content is too limited for your" jigsaw puzzle" so broader thinking might be in order... any other creative minds out there? Cheers Dave (dsam)

Later on I could ask the "Librarian" to find me a book on stalls specific to low wing aircraft. Come back a day later and the Librarian has "built" me a book on this topic.

OK here's a dream (nightmare??). Think of a metaphor interface that is a "virtual library shelf". I discover a book on the shelf that says "Stalls". Out pops a view of links to multiple recent threads that involve contributions on this concept/problem. Related older links go to threads on airmanship, situational awareness, theory of flight, aerobatics etc. Much would depend on targeting specific & helpful content within threaded discussions using smart keyword searches in the back-end of the database. It could become unwieldy though.. Cheers, Dave

I agree Andy. You've set out a good description for the variety of ways content can be filtered & viewed/noticed - an enhanced interface beyond basic boolean search tools. One thing we must keep in mind though is the level of end-user capability, and the degree to which the user interface is intuitive enough for the basic user. What seems intuitive to one person is often seen as arcane to another. Another trap for developers is trying to make one piece of software do too many things. Sometimes segregating clusters of functionality into separate apps is a better way to go (ie. horses for courses). A good corporate example of this over-aggregation problem is iTunes. Is it a music player? CD ripper? RSS access to podcasts? Shop-front for software?, TV/movies? Address Book sync? Streaming internet radio? iTunes Uni learning content? Talking Books? PDF iBooks...etc. etc. In the end, its current user interface has suffered declining usability for this very reason. Most casual users are confused & lost. I'm a long term Apple user but they really should know better, in my opinion. Ian, you are a brave man taking this on. Luckily you are both the developer/designer and the chief stakeholder, so whatever you say goes. That should help with your decision making in the end. The rest of us can just dream up ideas that make your task harder :-/ Cheers, Dave (dsam)

Admin, I'm thinking of your Team Concept as a user, and suggest you consider cleaving the user experience on multiple factors. Not just by "Aircraft Type" but by "Team" parameters like Maintenance, Builder, Aviator, Instructor, Navigation, Regulation, ATC, Student, etc. If a given user is isolated to an interface experience of only like-minded participants, there's not much opportunity for the cross-pollination of ideas from participants with a fresh take on issues, critical review of concepts, and accepted wisdom being thoughtfully & respectfully challenged. It is this "contest of ideas" that I value most highly from the interaction of a broad variety of participants. If the structure of your revisions supports or enhances such interactions - so much the better IMHO. Perhaps it is impossible to eliminate trolls in such complex designs, but that's true in real life interactions as well. Happy designing :)

Admin, as Sir Humphry Appleby might put it... "How courageous, Minsiter". When I recently retired from a well known Melbourne university I worked within a team that developed web based learning resources and have a personal appreciation of the amount of blood sweat and tears that goes into developing such a resource. It always took much longer to implement than you first thought, needing multiple iterations to meet the ill thought-out needs of end users who had no idea of the impact of their various "thought bubbles" & changes. Admittedly, web development tools have improved over the last 2-3 years since I was directly involved, but don't underestimate the need for early planning, paper-prototyping & design - well before any code crunching. It'll save you heaps of grief in the end IMHO. No doubt you already know this better than I, but I just wanted you to know that I feel your pain ;-) My particular input in the development team was video and audio content, but it all had to integrate with the design & development people whom I had great respect for. Good luck with your planning! I hope it becomes a rewarding outcome, both for you and the rest of us as participants. Cheers, dsam

I agree Shags. I'm not looking for airspace changes (at least not in the short term). As well, I'm not suggesting everyone on the RA-Aus register needs this RA-Aus + CTA endorsement (many wouldn't & shouldn't). Thoughtfully implemented, adding the possibility of an RA-Aus CTA endorsement need not impact negatively on any other RA-Aus flier not wishing to do so. In my case (and many like me) who already own a 24 rego aircraft, equipped with a Mode S transponder - jumping through a few more hoops in my own aircraft to gain CTA endorsement via RA-Aus would be a real bonus to the safer enjoyment of my recreational activities. It would avoid the unnecessary costs & red-tape hassle of adding RPL + CTA in some VH aircraft I haven't flown before - only to go back to my own aircraft to use CTA as required. I just hope that this RA-Aus + CTA endorsement issue is to be looked into again, as you said, Shags. Cheers, dsam

Perhaps the doubters are right. But I note that the chief medical officer in CASA was shown the door quite recently. Not exactly "mass sackings" but maybe a good start? Who knows, I might be an impossible optimist... Time will tell - hopefully not too much time, though :)

I agree the SOE is an important document. I can't help being impressed by the near total acceptance of the original 37 Forsyth recommendations (one rejected and 4 provisional). I compare this with how other federal major reform recommendations tend to get shelved never to be looked at again - the Henry taxation review being one of the best recent examples. Almost none of the 138 recommendations were accepted - no good reasons given IMHO.

Yes turboplanner, it seems there is a big shake-up in store for CASA, provided both the minister and the new Director of Aviation Safety have the courage and drive to see these changes pushed through. Lets hope the momentum and mood for change doesn't lapse over the summer break whilst Federal Parliament goes to sleep till next year. Admin, shouldn't we combine these duplicate threads? Just thought it makes sense to do so... Thanks.

This would seem to be a duplicate thread to: The Aviation Safety Regulation Review Report - Government Response

Well!! I've only just skimmed these two documents, but if we describe this as Industry vs. CASA, it would seem that Industry has won "Round 1". Much will depend on the new Director of Aviation Safety hitting the ground running in January, and forcing vast cultural change within CASA - needing the full and ongoing support of Warren Truss as Minister to "kick heads" where required. We can only hope that both individuals are equal to the challenge ahead of them, bringing CASA into line by the end of 2015. Perhaps I am overly optimistic? Those forum members that operate closer to this battle may choose to temper my enthusiasm...?

Geoff13, you impress me with your bravery and desire to fly despite your difficulties. I have had passengers with me that have had similar issues and I made every effort to get them down ASAP with a minimum of further fuss. Your courage has my full respect. By the way, did you check out the Eurofox as a potential aircraft to suit your needs? I described it on a post you made some time ago concerning suitable RA-Aus/LSA aircraft with the carrying capacity & performance you felt you needed.

I joined this forum to expand my knowledge of aviation and share my enthusiasm for the activity. I accept that forums attract trolls, but what I really object to is people treating me and other like minded participants as some sort of social experiment. Very bad and deceptive practice in my opinion. In my many years working at an Australian university, such a practice would never meet approval by modern ethical standards committees for legitimate research. Viewers of my posts would observe nothing but respectful and gender neutral attention to the content of discussion & debate. To that end, I have nothing to "defend", but without informed consent to such "research" certainly other participants on this forum deserve an apology for such deception.