PaulN

This is not exactly a close call but could well have been. I relate it here only to benefit readers from my experience. Only yesterday I was flying a lovely scenic up the coast from Port Mac with intentions of turning around at Nambucca. While over Nambucca I thought it a good idea to do a mock T&G on the private strip there to get an idea of the lay of the land. The strip was far too wet to touch down anyway. When overflying at around 50ft over rwy 18 we observed considerable bird activity causing us to fixate on the feathered traffic and begin an early climb out. Just as well ... right across the end of the strip was a string of three power lines clearly marked with balls but not noticed earlier due our fixation with the birds. Perhaps, had we flown the full length of the strip those same power lines may have ruined our day. Oops :ah_oh:

Hi Rob, Snowy Mtns is my old stamping ground, moved to Port Macquarie for better weather last November. Learned to fly at Polo Flat with Mike Apps and then spent the next 5 years punching holes through the sky over the Snowies. So, I have some familiarity with most strips in the area. The strip at Adaminaby (126.7), known as Kennedy Airfield, is privately owned by the local aeroclub group Snowy River Aviators. Your best contact their is Adrian Menhennitt who can give you a heads up on the latest conditions and preferred ops over the field. If you would like his email and/or mobile drop me a message. The strip is a lazy 20 min walk to the township of Adaminaby, or if you're lucky someone might be there to give you a lift. Options for accommodation and meals are lean pickings but you should be able to sort something through the net or with Adrian's help. The strip is grass and runs 09/27 which is good at this time of year when the winds are predominantly westerly, but if you park overnight chances are you'll have to clean off frost and ice before getting away in the morning. On my last flight into YADY in did note that the strip was becoming fairly rough from tufty grass, not a worry if you have strong gear and good sized wheels. Polo Flat (118.1) at Cooma is a fairly good strip with a short sealed runway 18/36 and so close to town with plenty of accommodation and food choices that it's reasonable to call a taxi, or again if lucky get a lift with someone. You should contact Mike Apps for permission before landing there and he may have undercover parking available for you. Cooma-Snowy (118.1), the main airport, is 17km out of town. This is where I was based, and believe me it is a very quiet airport, or at least was when I was there. So unless things have changed transport into Cooma may be difficult apart from hitching. The 2120m strip is all sealed but runs 18/36 so can be a problem with westerly winds. There is a 14/32 dirt cross strip which more often than not is less than helpful for avoiding strong cross winds, esp SW and if it's been raining this is sometimes unserviceable. Again, parking is all outside and subject to winds, frost and ice. Even though hangared under shelter (three sided shed) I often had to scrape away ice before an early morning flight, brrrrr. Jindabyne (126.7) has recently had a new road-base surface put on their 12/30 strip so has improved somewhat from the really rough surface that it was. The cross strip 09/27 is rough tufted grass. Be careful here, the field is surrounded by hills and if the westerly is blowing it will be pretty rough and sudden sink is not unusual. Of course, Jindy being a tourist town, accommodation and food is aplenty but about 3km from the field. At this time of year prices are high as this is the beginning of the ski season, also it would be wise to book ahead for a bed. Same story with parking outdoors. Cabramurra (the highest strip in Oz) is for emergencies only. I've not landed their but have driven on it. Apart from a relatively short sealed (kind of) section it is covered in long grass and has a few hidden holes. At this time of year you can expect it to be snow covered. Talbingo strip is located right next to the Talbingo township and next to Blowering Reservoir. I have no idea what is available for accommodation or food. As has been suggested before this strip is controlled by Snowy Hydro Limited so permission should be sought first on 0264532888. Khancoban, as has already been said, is fundamentally a Snowy Hyrdo strip but from the air looks in pretty good shape and easy to negotiate. Island Bend? Forget it. Too much wildlife, too much scrub, wombat and rabbit holes and at this time of year probable snow. Also, I reckon the NPWS would be a tad unhappy. From what I've assessed when flying over it looks like a preferred place to crash in an emergency over the alps, and that's about all. Geehi, same as Island Bend, except for snow. So, in summary. The June LWE is start of ski season. Accommodation costs will be high. Safest alternatives for landing are Cooma-Snowy, Polo Flat, Adaminaby, Jindabyne and further afield there is Tumut, Corryong and Bombala. There are of course a few private strips here and there but a friend not so long back wrote of his CT tangling with power lines across the end of one of these, so you would have to be pretty sure of what you're doing before accepting an invitation onto one of these. Watch the weather, as with anywhere but more so over the alps, winds and clouds can catch you out without warning. Only venture over the Snowies in calm, clear skies and then be alert to changes. BTW, it is stunning on a nice day, well worth the effort. Hope this helps. Please contact me if would like more info. Paul

Where did that come from Yenn ... that strip was posted "years" ago. Yeah, I've since learned to be more discreet with pic titles. D'oh!! Paul

Hi Mike, Great thanks. Been very busy overseeing plans come to fruition with our new house at Bonny Hills (10nm sth of Port Macquarie). We look like making our move from Cooma late July. And hey, Bob Furness at Camden Haven (the old Dick Smith airstrip) is holding a hangar for me ... a real hangar with lock-up doors, concrete floor, power, water, work bench and the best grass (lawn) strip in Oz. Way better than my present three sided shed which allows all of the local farm dust, frosts and snow to blow in and settle on the poor little CT and grass floor that I share with the local roos and snakes and open beam roof that I share with the swallows. Can't wait. Good to hear from you. Paul

Hi Linda and Brian, Cooma-Snowy is my home base ... in fact the only plane hangared there (see the little shed next to the highway). Yes, YCOM is ASIC rated but I've never known the card to be required here. Yes, there is a Mobil Avgas bowser with an Aero Refuellers swipe card facility. If you don't have an Aero Refuellers card you're best to contact the manager, Paul Clarke 0415 582 069, before coming in to make arrangements. You'll find him helpful and friendly. When you arrive, to get out of airside you need to swipe a card (any card with a magnetic strip will do, even credit card) to access the gate next to the run down shack in front of my shed. To get back in swipe the same card to unlock the gate. There is no RPT service here so the terminal building will be closed. However, from landside of the fence the front doors to the terminal are unlocked giving visitors access to the toots. Slarti is right about plenty of open paddocks around the Monaro but be warned, a close look reveals that much of it is rocky ground. A route from Bacchus Marsh to Cooma? I trust you're transponder equipped? Coming from the west you could consider my usual track which is the most direct and involves only about 20 minutes over tiger stuff and if you take enough air this can be just around 10 minutes outside of gliding distance to safer ground. From the Melb area track up the Hume H'way to Albury, take a right and track to Corryong then direct to YCOM. Be at around 6500 at Corryong then climb to 8500 over Khancoban and continue up to 9500 for the pass over the alps. This way you'll just skip under the edge of the 'E' class corridor. If active, you'll need to chat with Albury for clearance through their southern airspace of course and they're always helpful. I understand Albury is not radar equipped so a transponder is not all that essential on this route. Still, it's always a good idea to lodge a flight plan with Airservices before heading off, this way Albury knows you're coming and clearance is a breeze. I usually track north to Chiltern (CHN) at 3500, call for clearance 10nm before CHN, track direct from CHN to Talangatta Causeway (TLY) and then direct to YCRG. Depending when you plan to make the trip you'll need to be careful of winds and cloud over the alps. Great scenery during winter :thumb_up:. However, if you want the least tiger stuff and would like a longer more scenic trip you could always do a coastal south of Melb across Mornington and up the coast to Bega where a track direct from Bega to Cooma over the ranges offers the least amount of rough country ... but it is a tad longer. If I can be of more help please feel free to email me at pgnossiter at bigpond dot com. Let's know when you're coming and if I'm around around it would be good to catch up. Cheers, Paul

These would have to be a couple of my favourite aerials from over our backyard in the CT ... late arvo flights are just magic. Paul

Cool/Sad ... irrelevant. Awsome adventure? YES. Not this year but last Christmas my wife and I decided on Chrissy Eve to submit a plan and fly from Cooma to Launceston on Christmas Day to visit our daughter as she was new to the area and alone. Cooma to Yarram via the coast where we were greeted by very friendly locals who came out on Christmas Day around lunch time in case we needed to take on fuel (thanks heaps guys). Then across the Strait to Tas for a memorable rendezvous. Great trip and wonderful memories, even the ham sandwich Christmas lunch at Yarram strip. Paul

Paying $22/week (incl GST). For that I have a three sided shed to myself just big enough to house the CT out of the weather and sun, just 15 mins from home, and share the 2120m sealed strip with just one other aircraft (Corby Starlett) based there along with the occasional visiting plane :thumb_up:. Very quiet and private location complete with DOTARS mandatory RPT security fencing and gates, even though we have no RPT service. Paul

Can anyone help with suggestions for a good 25mm wide white tape for covering the gap between wing root and hull of my composite airframe. I've tried a couple of different types to find that the adhesive hardens/dries after just a couple of months allowing the tape to fall away and leaves dried up glue gunk that takes a fair bit to clean off. Thanks, Paul

Hey Brett, Brings back memories. Early training days in the Allegro at Polo Flat, I can see it now like I'm still on the spot. Just learning the knack of T&Gs with all the stress that comes with doing something new at 40kt on a very narrow and short strip, my subconscious (or unconscious) brain kicked into billy cart mode from childhood days (Michael Coates knows what I mean). Picture it. Power is on, she begins to wander off to the left, the left foot goes down ... ahhhh the fence. Thank goodness Mike grabbed the controls and we just missed spending the next few days repairing his fence. Phew!! My other notable taxiing incident is one I'd like to forget, but one if it had to happen couldn't have happened at a better time and place. My wife and I were off to Kangaroo Island for a little adventure. We had just run-up on the grass in front of the hangar and only begun taxiing when "BANG" the RH leg snapped dropping the CT onto its belly and wingtip. Imagine that happening on touch down somewhere on KI, the possible write-off and injuries (or worse) and the logistics of getting it back home for repairs (or whatever). Anyway, $10k and 13 mths later we were flying and smiling again. I love flying, just have to figure out a way to keep away from the ground. Paul

Thanks for the info Brett :thumb_up:. And thanks for reinforcing my "peace of mind" that I get each time I hang that EPIRB around my neck before take-off. On at least two occasions I have experienced the high degree of efficiency that comes out of CENSAR when my sartime has only just lapsed before getting a call off to cancel ... they are right on the ball. Good to know, and a good service to make use of. I highly recommend for anyone heading off cross country to submit your flight plan and sartime with Air Services through NAIPS or by phone. It's easy, free and it works. BTW, does anyone out there have a good recommendation as to where to buy my new 406MHz PLB at a good price? Paul

It could still be done while sticking to the rules by tracking in through the heads and remaining over water and 600m laterally from infrastructure ... but would make for a pretty tight turn out from the wharf. But hey, that's one of the fringe benefits of flying smaller than average aircraft ... from the ground they look much higher than actual ;). Cheers, Paul

Thanks for the info Doug. I'll have to make that Manly Wharf diversion sometime, looks interesting and would make for a good platform for pics of the harbour. I've logged plans for the Harbour scenic a couple of times now (yeah, have PPL) but each time ATC sets me up on a holding pattern over LRF keeping me hanging for up to 10 minutes or more. In both cases I just quit to get on with the trip. Formation up V1 sounds a buzz but 65kt ... gads, I usually rip up the coast at 120kt (in a hurry to get there as 3+ hours is plenty enough for the bladder). Paul

Hi Doug, Great video, well done . Looks like you're a tad above 500 in parts? I often fly V1, did you have to get clearance to duck in through the heads like that? What would I need to do to take a Harbour scenic flight on one of my trips? Cheers, Paul

Hi, I have a Bendix King Skymap IIIC GPS (WR3866) with software revision V1.22 ANZ 09/06. When I turned on the GPS (in the aircraft with the engine running) while setting up for my most recent flight, the GPS came up with a message on the screen "WARNING: Internal batteries are low or not present. Replace batteries as soon as possible or user data could be lost." It also offered me the OK button to select which when doing so brought up another message "WARNING: Corruption has been detected in the following areas of memory. These areas have been restored with the previous valid data ... User Waypoints; Flight Plans; Set-up Parameters; Notepad; Flight Log." I then hit the next OK button to find that all my flight plans were void of data and the map also would not display. Aaarrgggghhhh!! Nor previous warning was ever offered. Now I have nothing. What has happened and what must I do to restore the GPS to operational status again? Also, can someone point me to an Australian agent for the Skymap? Paul

This is more a "Things you say and wish you hadn't" type of call. Usually when I fly, my wife is riding shotgun. Recently on a solo flight, when entering Willy the controller asked the usual "What is your POB?". Without thinking I responded "POB is 2." D'oh!! No, I didn't call back a correction . Now when asked I pause to take a head count before answering :big_grin:. Paul

Hi all, I have posted a thread in the "Radios, Transponders and GPS Units" section of this forum. Please take a look and let me know if you know anything that may help. Look here ... http://www.recreationalflying.com/forum/radios-transponders-gps-units/15851-microair-upgrade.html Thanks, Paul

Someone has advised that there have been no such changes to Air Services radar facilities and that Microair's transponders were known to be faulty in their original new condition when supplied. Can anyone add support to this? If this is indeed the case, and can be backed up with evidence (anecdotal or documented) I will be persuing them for a free upgrade. Thanks, Paul

Hey Steven, When you arrive at Cooma give me a simulated call and I'll duck out to give you a simulated welcome . Paul

G'day, I have a Microair T2000SFL transponder. ATC has recently been advising that I fade on and off their radar. So contacted Microair support to be advised that my unit is what they term a "revision 5" version and that it needs to be upgraded to "revision 7" at considerable cost . Apparently this is due to changes in Air Services radar systems over the past 12 to 18 mths. Has anyone else experienced this? Is their someone other than Microair that could satisfactorily complete this upgrade? Thanks, Paul

Hi Hercules, Welcome to cyber flight ... the next best thing to real flight. If you haven't already been in contact with him contact Ultralights on this forum. He's the one you refer to above. Do a search under the "members" link and send him a Private Message might be a good start. Cheers, Paul

Last Christmas morning my wife and I were tracking down the far south coast of the mainland on our way to Launceston. The air waves were dead quiet so I called ML CEN for a radio check ... "Melbourne, this is CTxxxx. Radio check". "You're all 5s" came the reply. "That's good, I was getting a bit anxious as I could hear none of the usual chatter." to which he replied "Yeah, sound good doesn't it, Merry Christmas". Paul

Hi, After a fair bit of research I now have a source for the above oil direct from Shell at a good price and convenience. Their rep, Murray Wilkes has quoted me $12/litre incl delivery and GST delivered to my door. He has undertaken to supply small quantities as needed. Apparently bulk quantities may be purchased through Shell for a similar figure using your Shell Carnet account if you have one, but not smaller quantities. If you wish to have his contact details please PM me. Cheers, Paul