dsam

G'day John! I'm a Canadian now living in Oz. I got my initial flying training done in the 1970's as an air cadet at Penhold, Alberta (both gliding & private pilot). Then in 1980 I moved to Melbourne where life and career took over from flying. I took up recreational flying again upon retirement in 2012 and have enjoyed all sorts of outback flying since that time. Welcome to the Recreational Flying forum - happy & safe flying!

Haha... and I thought today's squabbles in the Canberra parliament were futile sideshows...

I consider myself fortunate that I had lots of meteorological training when I did my initial gliding training in southern Alberta, Canada. There was an area near Cowley where you had thermals, ridge lift, and mountain wave lift all in the local area. One would look for the lenticular clouds to take advantage of the rising secondary wave, well away from the higher terrain of the initial mountain lee-side (as per poteroo’s first diagram above).

It sounds like your “Dyson” really sucks!

True, I didn’t say it made any sense, but the political knee-jerk will happen regardless.

Any hope that ASIC card requirements will be relaxed for recreational pilots in Australia is probably gone now, thanks to this episode.

Have you seen these Tanami pumps? Tanami Models

Yes Jethro I did the trip in my Eurofox 3k (trike). Mine has all the bells and whistles (Dynon Skyview running the autopilot & showing a glide-ring on the display), ADSB, PLB, etc etc. as per my earlier post on this thread. It does an honest 110 knots TAS in the cruise, but stalls at 38 knots with full flaperons deployed (nice and slow for that rocky island I might need to aim for!) Having the right equipment, doing the SKED reports, and only flying in ideal weather was my goal for good airmanship in a potentially hazardous region. Not much different to my preparations for remote outback trips I’ve done, really.

Every ditching can be different, but I have heard that LSA high wing aircraft tend to nose-over and invert leaving you (and much of the rear fuselage) above the water so you can tumble out onto the (briefly) floating wing and not face an underwater escape from your harness and door. I certainly hoped that would be the case when I crossed Bass Strait, (should I encounter a major problem).

Regarding all this decanting into smaller containers, MOGAS in the Mr Funnel slowly draining, etc etc. I’m wondering how well the octane rating holds up considering all the fuel’s surface exposure to the (often breezy) atmosphere before it sits in the wing tank. Many of the volatile substances that achieve the higher octane rating must surely evaporate through this multiple pouring? Just wondering...

Regarding the safety of Bass Strait crossings, I have done a return trip in my (LAME maintained) Eurofox. In my view it is just another form of "Tiger Country" In my case, I did the recommended track over Flinders Island (via Cliffy Island, Hogan Island, Deal Island then via Cape Portland or Waterhouse Island). Many of these islands are very rocky looking from above, and seem not viable for a good landing should the Rotax 912 fail. Of course I did the recommended SKED reports at 15 minute intervals, at flew at high altitude (8500 & 9500) for best glide range - so only travelling in ideal weather helps here. Also mandatory was my life jacket & floating PLB, personal strobe, and for extra help, my SPOT locator, OzRunways tracking, and ADSB-out. With all of this, I still considered it a calculated risk and flew solo, not feeling I could put someone else at the same risk in my Eurofox. I'm happy to report that my journey went just as I (carefully) planned, and was without incident. Being RA-Aus, I have no access to Class D at Launceston, so I had to track along the north coast to Devonport to re-fuel, making my journey much longer for no good reason. The regulations as they currently stand are very discriminatory towards RA-Aus pilots, forcing us low under CTA steps in rough tiger country, or preventing me having Class D access at Launceston when that would be shorter & safer for Bass Straight crossings. I wish CASA would do as their name implies, and put RA-Aus pilot's safety ahead of their bureaucratic intransigence on CTA access/transit, but that rant never seems to get old for me...

Not wishing to buy into squabbles about ranking Airventure, Ausfly, Holbrook etc, surely I’m not the only wrinkly grey guy to notice a sea of other wrinkly grey guys at these events. It is sad overall that young people either: 1) don’t turn up to any of these events in large numbers, or 2) the young are no longer interested in flying and simply don’t partake in aviation. If the latter is the case, that doesn’t bode well for aviation overall.

Yes, got mine early & had no problem...

Thread drift....? Yes, I’m guilty too

In some busy training aerodromes with lots of students in circuit, it's understandable to keep calls brief, clear, and to a minimum (commensurate with safe practice). This forum has lots of respondents rightfully critical of poor radio practice (uhms & stumbles) - not knowing exactly what to say before keying the mic, and not listening before transmitting so as to not over-transmit on top of somebody else's calls (my pet peeve!) Having said that, many times there is none, or only light traffic at an aerodrome, and making good brief radio calls in circuit is no inconvenience to others, especially if you suspect there is potential for conflict or confusion when you hear others flying in the vicinity, or see someone taxiing towards the runway (who might have just turned their radio on & missed your last calls).

Using the radio correctly (and strategically when necessary), along with strobe lights & landing lights, should help with “see and be seen” around aerodromes. Occasionally extending a circuit leg to accommodate others, or observing “fly neighbourly” circuits don’t necessarily preclude my steeper power-off glide on final. As always, one needs to keep a sharp lookout especially around aerodromes, both landing and departing.

My first solo (decades ago) was in a draggy 2 seat training glider, so my basic instincts are all about energy management, and a steep power off “glide” approach (with my 912ULS I’m not much worried about ice). I feel this steep angle “habit” is also an advantage especially at unfamiliar airports in case there is an unseen wire or obstacle on short final near the fence I didn’t know about. With full length flaperons and good sideslip capability, I can still dissipate all that excess altitude/energy effectively without a long floated touchdown, and remain well above obstacles near the threshold.

Hey, thanks Bob! Very helpful. Yes it is a narrow track from the looks of it. I’ve set up my OzRunways with some aligning user waypoints. I shall export this flightplan to my Dynon Skyview & the autopilot will keep me on track accurately, leaving my eyes scanning for other traffic. Thanks again!

Bizarre madness!

Haha, now that is progress! They have all their students flying on instruments

Even without the radio issues, it makes me wonder why the fixed wing pilot never sighted the hovering helicopter? Surely by short final it should have been obvious, and an early go-around should have been initiated? FFS, I've sighted flocks of birds on the runway and done go-arounds... how hard would a helicopter be to see??

5 to 10 years! That quickly?? Careful now... we wouldn’t want CASA to rush in to anything so horribly scary!!

Yes, I know... very limited.... so far. I’m waiting for the broader version to be approved. However, I might die of old age waiting for CASA to get on with it

OK, so I've just noticed via the embedded link at the bottom of the above RA-Aus announcement a reference to the CASA medicals ("CASA issued Class 1, Class 2 or RAMP-C Medical Certificate"). It applies to those using this first incremental Flight Training School RPC exemption. Unsurprisingly, I can envisage this being the sort of medical requirement CASA would insist on if/when the endorsement is extended more broadly. Luckily, a Class 2 medical will be no problem for me. As it happens, my regular GP is also a DAME, and when the time comes, he is fine with me getting my Class 2 medical (we've discussed this during the many years I've been waiting for CASA & RA-Aus to get on with it).

Interesting you mention the GA medical. Do you have some inside knowledge on this? The medical won't be a problem for me, but RA-Aus haven't provided any detail yet on this (nor CASA, typically...!). Note that there isn't a GA medical on the announcement above for RA-Aus pilots in this first increment. For me the main reason not to get the RPL is that I already have a suitably equipped & maintained aircraft. I have no reason to go to the additional & unnecessary expense of getting the RPL in some random & primitive VH registered aircraft, only to return to my own aircraft and do the eastern coastal transits I've intended to do all along.