Neil_S

Hear Hear!

Hi folks, I have about 80 photos from NatFly, so posted them on Flickr at the following URL :- Hope you enjoy them.... Neil

Hi folks, OK - my 2 cents-worth. This was the first Natfly that my Gazelle co-owner, Matt, and I had attended, so we were not able to compare with previous years. We flew in on the Thursday afternoon and left on Sunday morning. * First off the arrival arrangements with a separate Ground Control frequency, and colour-coded Follow Me vehicles, worked very well - we were guided straight to a camping location and got set up very quickly. * We found the registration location without much problem and picked up the agendas for the presentations. The big labels to hang on your propellor with your name and departure location was a good idea, and I would perhaps suggest some sort of reasonably-sized label for people to wear showing their name and Rec Flying handle may be an idea for future events, as there were a number of people that I would have liked to meet up with but failed to do so, although I met up with their planes! Maybe also a second Rec Flying meet-up session on the Saturday as has been suggested. Putting faces to names is always good. * The food court was pretty good, and adequate for the numbers there, but I could see it may have been struggling with more people. * The exhibitions were interesting but as someone else pointed out - the Carbon Cub at $225,000 is not really my idea of "affordable Recreational Flying"! Some more exhibits of kits, or under $100,000 pre-builts, would certainly have got my interest. I also visited the museum, and a flight by any of the museum aircraft would certainly have been a bonus for me. * The presentations that I attended were all interesting, from the "how to update your Garmin software" through to "hands-on fabric covering". Well done, and thanks to all the presenters. * The community bus service into town worked OK for us, with entertaining and friendly bus drivers, and on the Thursday evening when we managed to miss the return bus we were able to get one of the two local taxis back to the airfield. * On the Sunday morning when ready to depart we were able to grab a ground marshall pretty quickly and got lined up and ready to go without any fuss. So for us it was a very enjoyable event, we met up with some friendly fellow aviators and local people, and had a great time. A big thank you to all the organizers for your efforts - they are very much appreciated by the likes of us, and any comments should be seen as suggested improvements, not criticisms. Looking forward to next year.... Neil

Hi Paul, I live at Hoppers and got my RA-Aus licence at Penfield, which is at Sunbury, a lot closer than Warnambool. At Penfield you would learn in a Texan, which is somewhat similar to a Sportstar, so you could easily move to a Sportstar later if you wanted to. Something to consider anyway. Cheers Neil

Hi Storchy Neil! Good to hear from you. Yes - my old phone needed replacing anyway so I have decided to lash out some dosh & get a new one and a Telstra connection. Hope to see you there! Cheers Neil

Hi Ian, Hope to fly in early on the Sunday morning, wx permitting of course. Looks like a fantastic line-up. Will drive if the wx is bad. Cheers Neil

Ah Maj, now you have got me really jealous! Along with Santana, Grace Slick & Jefferson Airplane used to be one of my fave bands when I was a teenager. And when I lived in London a bunch of us from work used to go and see BB King every time he played at Hammersmith Odeon. What a superb showman, and he is still playing gigs even now! Cheers Neil

Thanks very much for your replies, guys. I guess the Telstra one gets it....Shame it's the most expensive! Cheers Neil

Hi guys, Hope to go to Temora, and was going to take a Netbook with me, but was wondering which USB modem would be best. So if any of you went last year and used one I would be interested to know a) which provider you used (Telstra, Optus, Virgin, Vodafone, 3 etc) b) how good was the reception c) would you recommend it Thanks in advance Neil

Hi Tomo, Superb pix :thumb_up: - Tassie sure is a lovely place. Also love the Pietenpol! :clap2: Very nice build. Cheers Neil

Pardon?

Hi Crezzi, Being from the UK I am somehow not surprised they make it complicated....so I guess NPPL(M) is closest to the RA-Aus certificate then. I seem to remember reading somewhere about Simple Single Engine Aircraft (SSEA), and I guess the M would stand for Microlight.....which for the UK means :- Microlight Definition: A microlight aeroplane is one designed to carry not more than two persons which has a Maximum Total Weight Authorised (MTWA) not exceeding: 300 kg for a single seat landplane. 390 kg for a single seat landplane for which a UK Permit to Fly or Certificate of Airworthiness was in force prior to 1 January 2003 450 kg for a two seat landplane 330 kg for a single seat amphibian or floatplane 495 kg for a two seat amphibian or floatplane 315kg for a single seat landplane equipped with an airframe mounted total recovery parachute system 472.5kg for a two-seat landplane equipped with an airframe mounted total recovery parachute system A microlight must also have a stalling speed at the maximum weight authorised not exceeding 35 knots calibrated speed. Cheers Neil

Hehe Slarti, Now you are showing your age! I remember seeing Jethro Tull at Birmingham University in the UK a LOOOOONG time ago! I also just saw Santana for the first time last week at Rod Laver Arena....only waited 40 years....excellent stuff! Cheers Neil

Hi Jake, Glad you want to carry on flying and get your licence - you will be rapt when you do! Good luck and keep us posted! Cheers Neil

Hi JT, Hope you enjoy your trip to Aus. I believe the UK's NPPL is somewhat similar to the RA-Aus Pilot certificate, but NPPL allows you to fly planes of greater weights than RA-Aus (currently 600kg as previously mentioned) and probably more than just the 1 passenger that RA-Aus allows. Cheers Neil

Hi Rod, I wondered if it was you as I also recall talking to an ex-Ag pilot a while ago at Penfield. Glad you have decided to press ahead with your flying! WRT hangar space at Penfield I am pretty sure there is room, but check with Terry or Rod to be sure. Terry's number is 0438 002578. Hope to catch up soon! Cheers Neil

Hi Rocket, I learnt to fly in a Texan at Penfield, and now co-own a Gazelle which we hangar there. Let me know if there is anything I can help you with! Happy to have an excuse to fly over to Ballarat as well. Do you know David Halls who I believe flies the Gazelle over there too? Cheers Neil

LOL - brilliant!

Hey FlightyGirl - well done! :clap2: Getting that XC endo is the icing on the aviation cake.... Happy Landings Neil

Hi Jab200, I started learning at 53 after wanting to fly pretty much all my life, and I am really glad I did! I now have my licence, PAX and XC endorsements and am thoroughly enjoying not only the flying but also meeting all the other pilots. My only regret is not doing it earlier! Hope you enjoy the rest of your training - keep us posted on your progress..... Happy Landings Neil

Excellent stuff! Good on 'em.

So where can I nick one from?? :big_grin:

Hi Relfy, Nice set of pix. Looks like a great trip. Particularly like the plane parked with the utes in front of the pub! Cheers Neil

Well done, Acky! :clap2: Yes - it's a pretty stressful time, but worth it when you pass. Keep us posted on your pax & XC endorsement progress.... Cheers Neil

Hi Latestarter, Sue has correctly suggested looking at the RAA web site for detailed info. Be careful when looking at weights - essentially you need to look for a plane classed either as Light Sports Aircraft (LSA), where the MTOW (Max Take Off Weight) is 600kg or less, or an older spec (non-LSA) plane where the MTOW is 544 kg or less. For seaplanes it is 614kg. Max stall speed 45kts. MTOW includes everything - fuel, passenger, luggage. But there's also Empty Weight (no pilot, payload, ballast, or usable fuel), Basic Empty Weight, Zero Fuel Weight and others! As for 2-stroke vs 4-stroke, well I am sure you will generate lots of views from members on this site, but it may be worth bearing in mind some moves afoot (in the US at least) to move away from 2-stroke. Your choice of aircraft will likely determine the engine anyway, unless you intend to build one yourself. As for which aircraft - well everyone has their own views, but it is generally a good idea to get a fly in as many different types as possible, and then make a checklist of what characteristics are important for you. If you look in the classifieds on this site or the RA-Aus magazine you will see a variety of types and classes for sale. There were some Gazelles for sale in the latest RA-Aus mag, and as I fly a Gazelle I can recommend one for fun, slow, reasonably-priced flying as long as you don't mind a short endurance, but there are plenty of others that would meet your stated minimum requirements... HTH - you will no doubt get plenty of other views from other forumites....... Cheers Neil