riverduk

Maybe not as flash as satellite messaging but good in phone coverage areas is the Emergency+ App it has a button for 000, police 131444 and also the SES. It also gives your current Co-ordinate location along with an address, ideal in an emergency situation, if you remember to use it. I was unlucky / lucky to have my Ford Terrorist, er Territory catch on fire November 2019 whilst towing a caravan to Deniliquin, just rung 000 but would have been better to use the app to ring fire factory, I was able to give approx location and in the end just told the operator to tell them to look for the smoke, which closed the Cobb Hwy for the best part of an hour.

Hmmm, thinking back to my training days, I did learn to do "standard type" crosswind landings but my instructor also taught me a different technique, not sure how it would work in a fixed wing aircraft but certainly was a good alternative in a trike. Basically, on the downwind leg, take note of the x wind factor (via wind sock) then on base, fly past the end of runway to a point where, as you turn to final you can line up the trike with the end of runway directly into the wind (or relatively close to) this actually makes the decent into the runway somewhat easier than a x wind battle from height. The trick was to come in low & level (l&l) over the fence and be ready to touch down on that side of the runway, just before touch down the wing was pushed out to turn the trike onto the runway. eg: Landing on Rwy 18, on base, fly east, past end of Rwy then turn into wind aiming at that end, come in l&l over fence and aim to land close to the edge of the Rwy, as trike is about to land push flight bar out to the left which will swing the trike to the right and down the Rwy. From memory, the trick is to make sure the right wheel (in this scenario) contacts the Rwy as the wing is pushed out, as the wheel contact will help to bring the trike around and onto the Rwy, as the trike settles on the deck the steer wheel is adjusted to straighten the aircraft down the Rwy and windward side of wing is lowered into the wind to stop it from getting wind caught under it. Done correctly it is easy on the pilot and aircraft as most of the landing is directly into the wind, no manhandling the trike onto the deck. I hope I have explained it well enough, it was actually harder to put into words than I remember it being at the time. Obviously it might be easier on some airfields than others but where I learned it is a sealed Rwy with off side turn outs at each end so extra room to land. Cheers.

What a shame to see those 4 aircraft just sitting out in the weather like that.

Great Video, thoroughly enjoyed it!

Hey Mach, a really great suggestion regarding your cockpit and having survival equipment close to hand in an emergency, it's something that I had not given a lot of thought to, probably due to my choice of aircraft, but something that would need good consideration for pilots of fixed wing aircraft. For me, my KTI was always on my arm, in supplied holder, attached to lanyard around my neck with aerial out and ready to use if required, with my plan being to activate it prior to landing, that way it was going and I would be located regardless of my physical condition. Sadly it is no longer an issue as I have made the choice not to fly due to a non fatal medical issue over the past 6 months, which at this stage appears to be ongoing unfortunately. So to everyone out there, regardless of what you fly or where you fly it, be courteous to each other, enjoy the fellowship of being air men and women whilst doing something that is a privilege to be a part of. But most of all, don't take it for granted and enjoy every day you get to have as much air as possible between your bum and the earth. God Bless.

Give Denis at Bright Big 4 a call, not only is he a very welcoming and helpful chap but also as a pilot will be able to give you a good heads up about the area

Personally, when I look up during flight, I'm more than happy to see a big kite just above me, lot more reassuring than looking up and hoping the blades are still there, as we say here in Oz, yeh .........NAH!!

Hmmm, just wondering if the "King Song" would be classed in the same category as Segways and similar equipment, if so, unless things have changed in the past couple of years, they are actually illegal to use on public thoroughfares, footpaths, places, without, wait for it, the appropriate licensing and permits, even those little hoverboard thingy's that were all the go a couple of years ago are actually illegal in public places. A couple of years ago my wife and I looked into starting up Segway tours in our local area, it could be done, as it already is in other areas, but the amount of redtape involved plus some more than dubious intentions by the Segway importer at the time, to seriously rip us off, made us review the idea and shelve it. At the time though, the Vic Govt was looking into some trials of this sort of "Eco" tour in different areas of the state, but even so there would have been hoops to jump through I would imagine, besides, there's no where to put my fuel cans to take more fuel to my trike! Cheers, Ross

“Elderly” is just a matter of perspective, about 6 years ago whilst in Dunedin NZ it was revealed to me that at the age of 53 I was an “old c...” At first I was insulted but on reflection I decided to take it on as a badge of honour, I had made it there while the young fellow who all but flew out of the back window of the car he was in, as he let me know of my new found status may not have seen 20 if his particular behaviour continued as it was. Elderly, no, experienced! and that is exactly what was required in your particular circumstances recently, so congratulations on walking away from your incident and thank you for such an interesting report of the CORRECT details, it made for really interesting reading and was good to have a first hand report of the incident. All the best for your future flying as a husband / wife team, seems like the biggest hurdle has been well and truly cleared together. Ross

Hi Danny, possibly worth a call to the ultra light museum at Holbrook in NSW Contact Us. they have a few U/L engines, both one offs and commercial on display there, so someone may be able to help, cheers, Ross

Obviously no "failure of calculation" back in the good old days Bex Sorry Bex, must have hit a raw nerve, The sad truth is that the $20 uni would probably last just as long as the $800 "Ubeaut" special so which is the garbage? I do get your point though, I was, however, commenting more on the fact that back in the day most people took a lot more pride in their workmanship, stuff was just built to last. Today with our "disposable" mindset, its more like, build it as cheap as possible so that when it stuffs up we can throw it out and buy another one, I guess there is just no room for pride in workmanship these days at a manufacturing level. (This is not personal attack, as I believe you may be involved in manufacturing in China, it more of a personal observation, by myself and acquaintances in general terms made over a number of years) The fact that both Voyagers were launched in 1977 and have, not only survived in the space environment , whilst having what you described as, "radiation, radio waves, asteroid belts and other elements,"but continue to be functional, is a testament to the quality of both product and workmanship of these probes and I hope that any person still alive who took part in the manufacture of these probes are justifiably proud of their achievements. As a by the by, I can't see either my $20 uni or your $800 "Ubeaut" special keyboards lasting 40 years in this world, let alone in the same environment as the Voyagers are in

"After 37 years, engineers this week tried to fire up a set of thrusters on the craft - and they worked perfectly." Of course they did, stuff was built to last in the good old days, not like a lot of the garbage built today! Read more: NASA fires up Voyager thrusters dormant for 37 years | Daily Mail Online Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Not so sure about the shopped bit, if it is, its a damn good job, here's another video: And I'm still looking for the credit card!

I'm not going to get into the debate about drone and their pilots, I have one that I built myself as a bit of a learning curve, wasn't sure why at the time but now I know. How would RAA or CASA register this baby and what licence would you require? I'm in love and yes! I'd fly that! ...............Now, where's the credit card?

Hey Peter, thanks for the write up, thoroughly enjoyed it, hoping to get there soon myself, cheers, Ross