Thunda

Weight and maintenance is always a good subject. My RV4 is RAA Rego under 19, 600kg MTOW, it was VH registered l still have it LAME maintained. Because the next owner may want to go VH rego, but not only for that reason, it's running an io-320 with light speed ignition, l don't know anything about it, but my LAME has taught me a lot. I now know a heap more about my plane and engine and feel a lot safer, and have a maintainance release to prove it's kept in good nick. But..... If an aircraft was designed and built to carry a passenger and enough fuel to take Jon Johanson around the world ( and aerobatic rated ) why should it be down rated because it carries different Rego markings?

Safety, safety, an more bloody safety. It's just so those at the top of an organization can express a concern to justify holding their position. I worked in the higest levels of health and safety for years, and seen no positive change in the workplace. People need to be held responsible for their own actions, and not have others force them to comply with unrealistic procedures. If these people want to see change in safety, get those push bike riders off the roads and on to cycle tracks. I fly and have done so for over forty years, l never take passenger's because flying, driving or riding a bike is risky, when you rely on mechanical devices at altitude or speed you risk your life, that's why l don't involve anyone in my activities. It's a matter of preference, what we choose to get our kicks is our choice, and accept the risks involved, l don't ride my Harley chopper anymore, it's too risky on the roads today. I drive a beefed up Land Cruiser to protect myself from idiots on the roads but still fly because there's much less risk involved. It all comes down to luck, good management and preventative maintenance, even then it can still stuff up a good day. It's called Murphys Law. l should know, l wrote the book and have survived, ( so far )

The original top wing my be available, it's been replaced with an all metal one, as the plane has undergone a full refurbishment. And new engine.

No it wasn't. Don your memory is mistaken . Lying thieving Bob S owned it for a while, but never built it, he liked people to think he did, but he did some work on it. It was built by Nigel Arnott at Camden. And yes, it still is a great little plane. It's built stronger than a Pitts S1. One of the few pilots that have flown this plane, an Australian aerobatic champion, would love to own it, as this was one of the planes he started his career in.

The pilot was self taught, and is still flying aero's, they say: 'there's old pilot's an bold pilots, but there's no old bold pilot's' This blokes in his 70's and arial mustering stock. Don't be to quick to pick fault with people you know nothing about.

The very first Rotax 912 that Bert imported into Australia. And it's still in good nick.

But you don't have any idea, and know nothing about it.

That's correct, you must have done a lot of aero's to notice that.

I'm finding it hard to understand that. You all pay for all that gear AND and the rates plus lease, and then do all the work and don't own it ? ? ? ? Where are you, North Korea?

To those of you that believe paying a landing fee is the right thing to do. Consider my previous post on this, we ALL pay through the nose already. Remember the tax we ALL pay on fuel? Avgas or unleaded, the tax rate i've been told is around 65 cents per liter. But if you use Mogas in your plane you still pay the road fuel tax. It's ALL about REVENUE, no government ANYWHERE will let you enjoy recreation without paying twice. It's also about world population, the more populated we become the more money is required to support it. This is why they want YOU to pay more for what you already own and the utilities we once owned we're now paying private company's at a rate that we can't afford. The current RAAus executive wants to make things harder instead of fighting for us, so they get into bed with A A A , so much for privacy. Email the airports that charge a landing fee and ask for an exemption as you are flying in to fuel up, if they wave the landing fee because you bought fuel then you have the email as proof of the exemption.

I've missed most of this, but l never visit any airport that charges a landing fee. l have the advantage of my own air strip but can't understand why we should be paying landing fees on any public air strip when we all pay rates and taxes. We own the bloody air strips. Its all about greed, this country is far too over populated therfore needing more and more money for inferstructure and local, state and federal governments try anything to screw more money out of anyone they can, at the same time digging their snouts deeper into the bucket. When we were the AUF we had one purpose in mind, flying for enjoyment and affordabuility. now we have let the gold diggers take over, they poured honey down our ear's and said they would improve things, well as far as l can see we have all been bent over a barrel. Remember when councillors were volunteers ? And AUF Board members didn't ask for truck loads of money. By now , with all the money we have paid in membership fees over all these years we should own our own airfields all over the country. But lease a penthouse in Canberra for those that are supposed to have our best interests in mind. Then they sell us out, l remember when we couldn't fly above 300ft it took more than time to get that changed and not a lot has changed for the better since. lve had my gripe now, l guess most of you wont remember Brian Gabriel , he seen all this coming over 30 years ago, and when he tried to give us an alternitive he was shot down in flames..

I've missed most of this, but l never visit any airport that charges a landing fee. l have the advantage of my own air strip but can't understand why we should be paying landing fees on any public air strip when we all pay rates and taxes. We own the bloody air strips. Its all about greed, this country is far too over populated therfore needing more and more money for inferstructure and local, state and federal governments try anything to screw more money out of anyone they can, at the same time digging their snouts deeper into the bucket. When we were the AUF we had one purpose in mind, flying for enjoyment and affordabuility. now we have let the gold diggers take over, they poured honey down our ear's and said they would improve things, well as far as l can see we have all been bent over a barrel. Remember when councillors were volunteers ? And AUF Board members didn't ask for truck loads of money. By now , with all the money we have paid in membership fees over all these years we should own our own airfields all over the country. But lease a penthouse in Canberra for those that are supposed to have our best interests in mind. Then they sell us out, l remember when we couldn't fly above 300ft it took more than time to get that changed and not a lot has changed for the better since. lve had my gripe now, l guess most of you wont remember Brian Gabriel , he seen all this coming over 30 years ago, and when he tried to give us an alternitive he was shot down in flames.

G'day Lancer. l thought there were trike riders at St Helens, but I've never seen any around my stompin grounds, I'm at the mouth of, and across the Tamar River from George Town air strip. l've often thought of tryin a trike just for the experience, but never got the opportunity, sometimes I'd like to fly slow over some remote areas up in NSW. Hope ya find em,

G'day. It seems that a few people want to visit remote places in Aus, l also prefer this sort of flying. I regularly fly from my home field (Tassy) to: Leithbrige, Swan Hill, Wentworth, Renmark, and many other places north. l always fly on my own as it's hard to find anyone to fly with, most prefer to fly around the hanger or inside it. Oz Runways is a great flight planner and gives heaps of useful info. Wanna go north of Melbourne? Wentworth is definitely worth a visit. Then William creek is a must see, but grab a cooked chook at Wentworth for Trevor. (all will be made clear at William Creek) Try some Opal noodling at Cooper Pedy or Lightning Ridge.

To: Kenlsa and other's. You made me smile, thank's, l needed that. CASA, (Cretins Against Sensible Avation) Will always win while we let them, and RAAus tell us they are making beneficial changes to recreational flying (at a snail's pace and a price) But for the last 20 the RAAus as far as l can see have only spent our money on silk sheets, and still go down on their knees to CASA. I would have liked to go to Avalon this year but first need to be briefed by a CFI, register an accurate arrival time and ditch my life jacket fly with just enough fuel to meet my 600 kg MTOW. A phone call to the RAAus office on a bother matter informed me that the new weight increase had been approved and was on the desk at CASA waiting to be signed off. This was NOT true, but should have been. So I'll saddle up for a trip to Cooper Pedy instead. So instead I'll just ignore the bull $#! ¥ an just do my own thing, and if everyone else united and put the pressure on the establishment we might just possibly make a change. But that will never happen. I think it will just get too expensive and too political in the future to fly for enjoyment. Check out the link below, looks like another site to advertise a plane, but some of it's in a foreign language and Richard doesn't like to make a phone call. http://www.aircraft4sale.com.au/