408059

Glen I have two copies received as gifts. Happy to part with one and I'm in town. Steve

Ironpot That was my initial thought. I can live with this change. But this is how freedom is often lost.....incrementally. I'm still interested in the evidence and risk assessment that require the change of rules. My mind wonders as to whether they are simply following some sort of international obligation, whether there is empire building at hand etc. We'll probably never know.

KGW In 1998 CASA announced a reform of the licensing system with promised legislation in 2001. The reforms CASA suggested included many elements of the RPL. It wasn't until 2014 that Part 61 became operational. Part 61 was touted as a milestone. I had another view. I wouldn't only be pointing a finger at the public servants as mentioned above, they are answerable to the CASA Board and ultimately the politicians. Of course, the only thing the politicians react to is the bad media and getting back 'in' at the next election so reform is not necessarily a high priority. Reform may even may even result in bad media so conservatism reigns. Then you have the systemic issues. If you're a public servant out of industry or, heaven forbid, a former CEO from RAA now in CASA, and have a pragmatic view of how to administer recreation aviation, unless you adhere to the conservative culture wrought by the politicians then you are let go. Even if someone wanted to interpret the rules in a pragmatic way they'll end up with a 'please explain'. If they don't, there is always the performance audit administered by ANAO. Performance audits review regulatory adherence. ANAO findings that can be traced to an individual have consequences. So what can we do? Well, we could convince the public to convince the politicians to direct CASA to reform the rules. Then again the public are only concerned about travelling in an airline and getting from point a to point b safely. Stories about accidents, beaten up by the media, undermine confidence in the industry. Recreation flying has their fair share of accidents. Another reason for CASA to be conservative and reform at a 'glacial' pace. Some cynical thoughts.

A couple of years back I had an engine outage over the Southern NSW costal range. Insects had nested in the fuel vent unbeknownst to me and not picked up in the DI. Wasps were what the LAME thought. The fuel system was gravity fed with not a lot of head pressure. The engine continued to operate until the vacuum overcame the head pressure and the engine was starved of fuel. Nothing I tried could get the engine started again. Had it not been for the height I used to cross the ranges, together with and good LD of the aircraft and no propeller spinning, I was looking at a river landing. Instead I made the airport with sufficient height for a planned circuit. Now all vents and tubes are covered with breathable fabric and are part of my DI. Steve

Isn't 'nice to fly' also dependent upon your mission? I've owned aerobatic aircraft that are nice to fly but hardly easy to fly. My current aircraft, the Varieze, is fast, different and nice to fly but does not suffer fools if you are not in front of it when circumstances are challenging.

Speaking with the CFI of a South Coast (NSW) flying school a couple of months ago, they were doing a roaring trade. I was having trouble booking a BFR because it was so busy. Those not in the tourism sector, and had money, were using it to pursue life long desires rather than going overseas as they would normally have done. Also, there were a number of people who had dipped into their super funds and gone flying. They were his thoughts.

Shajen If he is prepared to fly it down to Victoria, and makes it, at least it is airworthy. If you do pay out the full amount, then make sure you have insurance in place. It is your aircraft.

I do not often whinge but this topic has struck a cord with me. A couple of weekends ago at Goulburn a pilot, from somewhere on the Indian Subcontinent, was doing circuits. The speed of his patter, mixed with a very heavy accent, made his radio calls useless. I had no idea where he was from the calls he made, as I taxied to runway 22. The only discernible part of his call was his frequent mention of 22. I saw him in circuit and thought him on downwind so I declared my intentions, lined up on 22, and departed. He was in fact on base leg for 26 and the runways cross. He declared a go-around as I sped through the crossover, which I did hear. The conflict in traffic was not close but it was unnecessary. My learnings? Well, not to assume, which was my failure, call-out poor communication, and make sure you understand his intentions. I would normally have had a quiet word with the pilot afterwards but he had long departed by the time I returned.

Totally agree with the comments about side sticks. Likewise I thought them a gimmick but now prefer them. Flying a Canard where PIOs easily occur, the side stick helps manage the situation. Also, they help manage fatigue over long trips.

On my computer they are images. Just click on them and expand. Of interest to me is the point being made from the images. I'm unsure as to what it is. Matty, would you care to elaborate please?

My understanding is that aircraft trying to avoid landing fees by not making circuit calls, or calls without registration, or calls with the wrong registration are a big problem for airport owners chasing landing fee revenue. The industry, and I'm being deliberately vague because I've heard this third hand, is being advised to install camera's to catch the 'cheats'.

Last Sunday afternoon was a glorious day to go flying at Goulburn but there was no one around. Normally I'd see a half dozen aircraft based at Goulburn airport flying. It could be coincidental but the sign/pole is a likely contributor. Next to the sign is a pole. On top of the pole is a camera to record the movements so the airport owner can charge aircraft owners using taxiway delta. The owner of the hangar I rent from did some measurements during the week. I'm not sure that it is much consolation but the claim is the sign/pole is illegal. The sign/pole are within 22 meters from the taxiway center line. I'm told that at a licenced airfield it should be 32 meters. I left on Sunday, after my flight, thinking about other airport options.

Acro sport 1?

DR 107?

Two thoughts OK 1) I currently use a $12 dolly from Bunnings strapped to the front of the fuselage. There is no weight on the nose because it is a pusher aircraft. It enables easy maneuverability by me and the other owners when aircraft are moved around the hangar. I upgraded the wheels when I started to wheel the aircraft in and out of the hangar. 2) Going back to my glider days, hangar rash was a weekend occurrence. We devised a system of rails to overcome it. Each glider was assigned a rail (overturned and pinned angle iron) for the main wheel. The tail wheel was on a dolly. The rails ran outside the hangar. On the rails was a trolley made from caster wheels. In the trolley sat the main wheel of the glider. The trolley was accessed by a ramp made of compressed dirt or concrete or wood outside. The aircraft was pushed/pulled up/down the small ramp onto/from the trolley. There were two rails for every door of the hangar fitting two gliders. The system completely eliminated hangar rash and sped up the process of putting aircraft away of an evening when everyone tired and wanted to get away. Cheers

Slightly off topic. I had a Cassutt Racer that I wanted to put on the RAA Register. Steve Bell, from RAA, was happy to consider the proposition until I mentioned the 58 knot stall speed. I researched and found someone over in the USA that had brought the stall speed down to 45 knots by putting wing tip extensions on and reducing weight. While the CofG was fine he found the aircraft uncontrollable at speeds just above the stall speed. The Cassutt Racer has small tail feathers and at that speed the elevator and rudder simply did not work well. Even if you can get the weight down on 24-1524, and the CofG sorted so you have a 45 knot stall speed, there still may be problems.

Yes a curious choice. There are many famous aviatrix's in the Australasian area that could of been selected if gender was a selection criteria. Bonney, Miller and Batten to name but a few contributed to the advancement of aviation. Jean batten's exploits (yes she was a New Zealander) in particular has impressed me. But then again they didn't write a book, which had quite a few historical names in it, and didn't pass away recently. I met Nancy Bird-Walton several times and found her personable but she most certainly was focused on her Australian Women's Pilot Association during those encounters, which was not unexpected.

The gyro is Australian designed and built. The proprietor sometimes uses the hangar I rent for storage of assembled aircraft prior to distribution. I've got to be a little careful and sensitive with my words because of the recent deaths. When I last saw him I inquired about his Christmas. He put his hands to his face and shook. After the Orange incident he had been around Australia and the world inspecting and test flying the aircraft he manufactured. He also indicated that the so called parts that had failed had been independently retested and far exceeded design. This latest incident will be devastating to him.

The Varieze has two rudders each activated independently by your feet. Accordingly, resting your feet on them is a big no no. Both rudders would move giving you some uncoordinated flight and an air-brake. Also, the springs for each rudder are light. Light shoes are the order of the day.

Kaz I used to fly Cooma (Polo Flat), across the coastal range, and onto the coast regularly. Taking my Racer to my LAME in Moruya, attending BBQs at Frogs Hollow, whale watching off Montague Island, and visiting friends in Merimbula. The coastal range is spectacular with scenery only possible from the air. Well worth going out of the way for just to see the gorges off the escarpment and alpine lakes close to Bombala. If you are travelling in a straight line I'd suggest you stay high and avoid strong Westerlies. You will be within gliding distance of something safe nearly all of the time. Those more conservative will pick the Bega valley, and others further North, or South, to fly across because of the availability of paddocks to land in. Training schools on the coast, and Cooma way, send their students across these mountains all the time (and for that matter the Snowy mountains). It's simply a matter of preparation. Weather can be an issue. The distance between my home base in Cooma and the coast was less than 50nm but most times the weather patterns were very different. Two years back there was a BBQ at Frogs Hollow. A great bunch of people. An Easterly wind started picking up on the North/South strip and the coastal range started to clag in. It was not forecasted. Within 15 minutes the aircraft from Jindabyne, Cooma, and Adaminaby were on their way to be greeted by blue sky and no winds at their respective home bases. Care is all that is needed, Frogs Hollow has no fuel but it's easily obtained from Merimbula. Well worth the venture I'd suggest. Steve

Falconar Avia Maranda?

FS Firstly, welcome. I see that you are new to the forum. This topic has been done a couple of times so a search will reveal previous threads. In a nutshell Canberra is available if you have the money. Polo Flat, just north of Cooma has hangarage and fuel but the owner is actively trying to sell the strip. Jindabyne had some hangarage available when I last asked early this year but is 2 hours down the road and has limited fuel availability. Canberra based SAAA members have spread themselves across several airfield including Goulburn, Tumut and Temora. Goulburn has some hangarage available from the owner and some private hangar owners but others in this forum will caution you about the owner and tone of the airfield, (there have been some legal disputes). Tumut Club advertises space available, has fuel but is 2 hours away by car. Temora has a good aviation community, fuel and hangarge should not be a problem but you are getting close to 3 hours away. The Yass development seems to be floundering from DA issues with the Council and resident complaints. The Williamsdale development seems to have fallen over and nothing has been said for several years. The Dick Smith airstrip was suggested last time and it would be interesting to see if anyone secured hangarage. The Hall strip I've not heard anything about in decades. That's about it.

Cassutt Racer

pietenpol air camper?