Ferris

"I read an Incident Report that was undertaken by ASRA about a gyrocopter accident earlier this year. It was very comprehensive and informative. RAA could learn a bit from ASRA in this respect." LM while I haven't read an ASRA report I did get to read an RAA one. I would have to disagree with your comment about RAA taking a lesson from ASRA. The RAA investigators have been trained by the ATSB and were impressive in action. Their investigation was thorough and the report comprehensive. The conclusions drawn were clear and well argued. It was an informative and professionally presented document. While the incident ocurred several years ago, the Coroner has yet to release a finding, which prevents anybody associated with the accident or investigation from commenting publicly. This is a pity because there's a few lessons in it for all of us. Cheers Ferris.

G'day Craig. Just to throw my two bobs worth in, there's nothing cheap about flying. If you buy a cheap plane then sooner or later it's going to cost you a lot of money. Buying the aircraft is the easy part, owning it costs alot more. Depending on what you buy, expect it to cost $100 a week before turning the key. Perhaps the one exception to this rule is that if you buy the right aircraft to train in, you can save a fair bit on gaining your PPL or RAA certificate. An early Cessna 152 or Jabiru LSA would be a good start. Make sure you get an independant LAME (aircraft engineer) to conduct a thorough pre-purchase inspection and budget this into your purchase price. If you buy a dud you can't pull over to the side of the road and call the auto club. Cheers Ferris

Thanks Mal, I've spoken to a couple of people who have OzRunways, but apart from yourself have not been able to find anybody who knows about AvPlan. One OzRunways user in particular was going to down load AvPlan and compare the two. I have considered trialling the free versions, but they both seem very complex and to learn two different programs at the same time would probably end up being very confusing. Those that are using OzRunways are certainly very happy with it, but AvPlan seems to have more user friendly features. I hope this doesn't end up in a Rotax vs Jabiru type discussion! Cheers Ferris.

OzRunways Vs AvPlan. Both appear to be very good, simarly priced and well suited to our conditions. Does anybody have experience with these applications? Cheers Ferris.

On the news tonight his aircraft was found late today about 10 km from Wentworth, sadly with the worst outcome

Hey, I've always got my ASIC through RA-Aus and it has never come with a holder. Does anybody know where you can get a proper holder and lanyard. It's stuck to a library lanyard at the moment.

G'day Pete, I imported a pair of LED landing lights for a C172 from Skygeek in the States. We had problems with the original landing lights in that we couldn't get through a 100 hours without blowing 1 or both. Have not had a problem since going to LED's, which is around 300 hours. They are at least as bright as their halogen equivalents and slotted straight into the original Cessna mounts without any hassle. They come in two forms:- landing light which is a pencil beam and taxi light which difused. The LEDs are far more distinctive in the air from a safety perspective and can have a flasher attached, but if I had to make a criticism, and it is only a slight one, they are a little harsher on the eyes at night. Other pilots and airport users have criticised them, because the landing light in particular is blinding to oncoming traffic at night; - something we have to be mindful of. They're guaranteed for 5000 hours, so they should outlast the aircraft. While these LED's are fairly new technology to the aviation industry they are certified and can be self installed. We also looked at going to LED position and anti-collision lights, but there was no cost benefit.

I am going to ask how long is a piece of string....... well sort of. I am told the oz runways is the bees knees, although i am currently running ozi explorer on a 7" recreational flying gps, which i am pretty happy with. My daughter is pressuring me for an ipad for her birthday, and i'm thinking well maybe i could get a half share in one with my almost teenage daughter and get to pay the full price for the privellige. I have been told that ipad 2 is better than ipad 3 for aviation, in that it is brighter, has better battery life and doesn't run as hot. Any thoughts.

Does anybody know how and where to download additional aircraft for MS FSX? The current range is fairly limited.

Ditto Frank. People who don't stop for an unmarked police car, mustn't like their own car, because failing to stop is a hoon offence. You lose your car for 30 days and you get the privilege of paying the tow and impound fees as well - usually over $1000.

Robin, this sounds like a great trip. I haven't read through the other replies in detail, but have a look in the ERSA about the requirements for remote area travel. Also you need an ASIC for YBDV. If you're not too sure go IFR (I follow roads). Cheers Ferris

Tomo, I just finished mine a few weeks ago. The instructor was very up front. If I wanted a rating to fly anywhere at night in VMC, train with him, if I wanted a rating to get home after dark, then look for another instructor. I chose the first, knowing that this particular instructor sets as a standard, double of everything in terms of hours, that CASA set as a minimum, and his syllabus was a fair bit wider. He insisted on doing everything I could expect or not expect on a night flight. Heaps of circuits on totally black nights, & no ground lighting; unfamiliar strips, adverse weather, in and out of mountainous strips, controlled airspace, and just about every combination of instrument and equipment failure he could manufacture. I reckon about every second landing involved either a partial or complete electrical failure! It was worth doing the whole course just for the flight into Melbourne at night. Absolutely spectacular. Just don't try to get back in the gate at Essendon after 10.00pm!! I'd feel confident to take off across the continent at night. Night flight carries a higher risk and I can only suggest that you seek out an instructor who sets a very high standard. Cheers Ferris

Hi pressure washer........... useful for blasting the paint off the front of your car, while leaving the dead bugs firmly attatched.

Yep, had a fly today, thought it was a good day for a fly and it was, but then I'm on (long) final with the windsock straight out, I've got 105 indicated and 58 knots g/s, with the wind 30 degrees off the nose. Nothing like the pucker factor every now and then.

Hi, please excuse me for posting a GA type question on this forum. I am having a look at doing an NVFR rating and I am told getting your head around the navaids is what causes the most hassles for students. I figure that if i use a flight sim to learn these, I'll hopefully keep the wallet draining part to a minimum. Can anybody recommend a good program. Cheers Ferris.

Just write BOB on a piece of paper and hand it to a cabin attendant, they'll divert the flight to your favourite destination and give you a priority departure off the plane.

Looks like a low wing with retractables. Probably a Cherokee 6 as reported. Just terrible whatever type of aircraft.

I've read many aviation articles as we all have, and done the human factors exams, both RA and GA. Here is the first mention that i can recall about hypoxia below 10,000, with the exception of night flying, and heavy smokers. These must be extreme cases for people to be suffering from hypoxia at below 10,000. Magazine articles would suggest that in the US they don't use oxygen much below 12,000 and the human factors syllabus mentions lenghts of useful consciousness at 15000. I must concede that I don't know the legal height for oxygen in the US, but they don't seem overly fussed below 12000. A 10000' ceiling is absolutely fantastic for getting over mountains, a few clouds and just getting about comfortably on hot days, and I find the radio easier than below 5000 as you don't have to change frequency as regularly as when travelling through CTAFs. IFR traffic is on their level and VFR on ours, so if everybody is doing the right thing, there is adequate separation. The higher altitudes are great for going places in a hurry (if the wind's right). Perhaps one area where more training will be required if the limit is lifted to 10000 is the IAS vs TAS and pressure heights. At lower altitudes IAS and TAS are very similar, at 10,000 there is a significant difference, and is a concern if an aircraft is being flown close to VNE. The RPTs can be a concern, however they are just as scared of us as we are of them. They hate going below 5000 because traffic can be coming at them from all directions. The RPTs seem to make their calls early, and a little bit of communication goes a long way. The other big factor is the cold. It can be bloody cold at 10000 and you need a good cabin heater, oh and the scenery changes very slowly at that height. Cheers Ferris

Hildy, Firstly I would like to welcome you to the aviation fraternity. It is true that when you discover flight that your eyes are forever cast skywards (with apologies to the original author). I fear that by using a GPS in the circuit you are developing a very bad habit, that arguably could be quite dangerous. Whilst in the circuit, the pilot workload is at its highest and also with the highest risk of collision, without being distracted by a GPS. If you must have it going , then put it away where it will not be a distraction. Also at some stage your instructor is going to want to see you competently fly a circuit without any instruments at all, so you need to get a feel for the aircraft and learn the visual clues. Once you go solo and start your navs you have to be able to navigate without a GPS, otherwise the CFI won't sign you off. GPS are great units and really useful, but they make us lazy - and this from a bloke that has one running on every x country. Hildy in short you are better off putting the GPS away until you've learnt the basics. Regards Ferris.

LED's are very directional, ie if you are just a few degrees away from the centre of the beam, their effectiveness reduces significantly. The emergency services have used flashing headllights for years without too many problems. Cheers Ferris.

Pity the young lady with a surname of Fuchs, or Rhonda Rottenbox.

Teckair you are correct. ATSB generally do not investigate "ultralights" and are attending fewer GA accidents due to budgetry constraints. Local police are responsible for the investigation and preparation of the Inquest Brief. They may use RA-Aus or any other organisation to assist. Once the police are involved the privacy issues kick in, and unless there is an open inquest or criminal prosecution, all documents and recommendations remain with the police. Cheers Ferris

Oh dear what can i say. Pickled Onion Airship (with docking stick) - eBay, Ultralights, Aircraft, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 08-Oct-10 17:43:37 AEDST)

Hi Sue, thanks for the info. I only need to replace 1 section which was broken by a pax. I was looking for an Australian supplier as freight from the States is I am told very expensive due to the bulky nature of the packaging. I'll give them a ring during the week. Once again, thanks. Cheers Ferris.

Hi I'm trying to find some aftermarket interior plastics for a C172. There's plenty on Google in the States but not much here in Oz. Does anybody know of an Australian seller? Cheers Ferris.