Mickeymax

Maybe we just have to face the fact that to get young people flying is like trying to interest them in steam trains. Lots of good stuff written above and yes nearly all of it true. Mortgages, both working to buy a lot of stuff we never needed puts recreational aviation and building way down the list. Forget trying to interest them in steam trains.

Where's Fiji?

Glad to see I'm not alone in clocking up the hours and the coin Dave. Where do you fly from? I fly from Gympie. In which aircraft did you do your training? I feel it's nice to communicate with someone around my age. That makes two things we have in common; flying and our age. If you ever want to talk flying my number is 0474 760 805. I get down the coast fairly regularly and would be happy to split a hire with you when you are passenger endorsed. If you get up this way I'll take you for a fly. I thought I would be not be short of people wanting to fly with me but learned quickly that is not the case. Steve.

Hi Dave How many hours did it take you? I'm interested because I'm 68 and it took me 18 to go solo. I was so disappointed in myself as I thought I'd be going solo in 7 or 8 ha ha ha!. I've just done my passenger endorsement. Don't have my log book with me but think I got my certificate around 30. Old age was the problem they tell me. I think because as older experienced people we see danger and pitfalls as young people don't. They just do it more or less blindly. Steve.

Hi Mate. Know where The Oaks is. What is SRFC? Let me know how you go with your learning. I've just got my certificate and in the last week my passenger endorsement. It's nice to talk to people that are learning too. It's sort of like being in the same boat I guess.

Hi There:welcome: What do you fly now as an RA pilot?

Great to see you. Is HARS the aircraft museum at Albion Park? I offered to volunteer there 5 or 6 years ago and I had to pay to become a member before I could volunteer and got cheesed off. First time I've offered to give my time for nothing and been asked to pay for the privilege . In my opinion they do a good job but overate their own importance.

welcome:welcome:

Hi Mate Could you give us a little background to start the ball rolling. I find this a great site and someone always willing to chat. Anyhow WELCOME Steve.

Hi Frank Glad to hear you and Fran are fine. Thanks for the photos. As I've been to your place I can relate to the them. I'm glad you're not flooded out. I've been trying to fly but the weather has clipped my wings. Went to the airstrip today and wind was in excess of 30 kts. Will give it a go Monday morning. Still chipping away at my hours for pax endorsement but weather has me stuffed as it has with a lot of people. Happy landings Frank.

Dropped in where?

Hi Neil Tell us about yourself. Are you learning? Lots of stuff to read about on here and once you kick off with a thread people will start to reply. If you're learning like me you will get a lot of good tips from others. Always someone wanting to talk flying, Steve.

Hey FrankI haven't heard from you. Are you ok? Are you flooded out? Steve

Rusty Felt a little rude not offering my number. Look forward to meeting you and talking flying although it could be one sided. I don't think you'll learn much from me. Steve 0474760805

Yeah Rusty I'll call you. Thanks. Aircraft looks good. Steve

Hi and welcome I hope you get some fun out of this site. I'm a new pilot who has just received my certificate flying a Foxbat at Gympie. Do you fly still? Steve

Good advice. Thanks

Where do you buy those big balloons?

Yeah, seems the way to go. Time, money and trouble to build etc.

I'm surprised at how expensive cheap ultralights are. My fascination in ultralights began with ''Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines''. Can anyone recall the Frenchman I think it was who flew sitting under the wing in between a pair of bicycle wheels. The aircraft was wood, wire and cloth of some sort probably powered by a motorcycle engine or something. I always imagined to build something like that would be cheap. As a kid I remember my father bought me a go kart with a Victor lawnmower motor on it. People soon starting putting twin Mc Cullough? motors on them and priced us out of the fun of a family sport that anyone could afford. It seems the same thing has happened with DIY aircraft. Surely there is alternative motors to the Rotax etc what with the high revving high torque lightweight motorcycle motors available today. Surely we can replicate those sort of flying machines cheaply. Even home builders now use aluminium, Dacron? and Rotax motors. (Hence what I call not cheap) Can't we use timber, lightweight canvas, bicycle wheels and a motorbike/lawnmower engine of some sort? What are your views? Maybe you know of aircraft built in this fashion. Google ''Cheap Ultralights'' and you'll see that the cheap ones are all aluminium etc and still expensive. I read of ultralights you can build in your backyard using materials and tools available in your local hardware store. To my way of thinking a cheap ultralight should be able to be built for around $3000 and then that aircraft would qualify as cheap. Or am I in fairyland?

Over the moon Over the moon Frank? I know you fly really well but isn't that stretching the truth a little?

Hi Frank Got a bit worried there when you didn't reply for a while. Thought a may have offended you somehow. Went for a fly in the Bat today. Flew over my daughter's place. My first time on my own out of the training area and had a few nerves but found my way around and got back to the field ok and made myself happy with a great landing. Ending the flight with a rough landing always disappoints me. If I answer your post in this box does everyone see it? Take care Frank and happy landings

I was recently housesitting south a Cairns for my brother and his wife when I first met Frank Arri. I'd seen Frank overhead quite a few times so drove into his cane farm and introduced myself. I'd just received my certificate in a Foxbat in Gympie and was disappointed I had to wait a month or so to get back to Gympie to fly again. So anyway, Frank takes me down to his shed to see the Drifter and gets it out of the shed for us both to admire. Frank in only a pair of shorts, no shirt and no shoes, suggests we fly. It struck me as amusing, like a kid saying " Wanna have a ride on my bike" . Being a bit reserved myself I was tickled pink to think without any formalities of getting to know each first he'd offer me a ride in his Drifter. From then on we flew quite a few times and became good friends, Frank suggesting that I wear shoes when we flew in case we had to walk back. Frank has 35 years flying ultralights and has a wealth of knowledge, to coin a worn out cliché, and told me fascinating tales of early ultralight years and building his own U/L in a short time during the "crush" when he was busy cutting cane. He talked of engine failures and landing in the cane, to tales of other pilots he's known coming to grief on his property in their own aircraft. Quite fascinating stuff and I learned a lot from Frank about how to stay alive. Frank knows how to fly that's for sure and put me through some quite you might say "hair raising seat of your pants landings" amongst other daring manoeuvers but still flies safely as far as I'm concerned and constantly instilled safety upon me. For me as a novice pilot he sort of took "boring" out of it. Frank didn't stop short with just flying, and knowing I was housesitting and by myself, invited me to his 70th birthday, and he and his grandson took me to the Reef oystering and snorkelling in his boat and showed me beautiful hidden waterholes behind Deeral. Frank flies, plays the electric guitar well, skin dives and fishes. Frank's one of those people you'd call "a real character" and a great guy to know. Frank and his wife made me feel most welcome and I had fun. I had to do a refresher flight in the Foxbat with my instructor when I got back as I hadn't flown for a while and wanted to hire the aircraft. I was tempted to do a few of Frank's manoeuvers but thought better of it ( I know Frank would say "especially if they can see you")

I just posted an article re flying training and thought I might elaborate. I also read a post where someone was enquiring about training in a Drifter and who has one. I obtained my RAA certificate with The Recreational Flying Co at Gympie. They have both a Foxbat and a Drifter. I did my basic training in the Foxbat but now have switched to the Drifter to get my tail wheel endorsement and to build up my hours in command. I was lucky enough to meet Frank Arri In Nth Qld and flew four or five hours with him and had a ton of fun hence my affection for the Drifter. Found out through Frank the thrill of flying with the wind in what hair I've got. As for my flying training and as I said in my previous article, more through good luck than good management I thought my training with the RFC at Gympie was excellent although how would I know If I haven't trained with anyone else although I suppose a lot of us will have had the same experience. Anyhow regardless of how I might joke about who I trained with I will stick to my guns and say training with the RFC at Gympie was great and I'm more than satisfied I chose right.

I thought I might share my experience in choosing or not choosing the right flying training school and instructor. As it turns out I ended up with an excellent school and instructor but only through good luck and not through good management. After spending lots of money on my training I thought ''what a fool I am'' What I did. 1 I took the first school I came to 2 I took the first instructor I spoke to. 3 I failed to find out if I could hire the aircraft after I had obtained my certificate. How silly was I? In fact there where three flying schools I could have chosen from. My instructor I feel was excellent and my training also, but I could have set myself up with some guy just wanting to build up his hours. I failed to ask if I could hire an aircraft after I had my certificate. How would I have been if I had a certificate and nothing to fly? I doubt the other schools would have been keen to hire me their aircraft after I trained with someone else on the same aerodrome. This was brought home to me when I enquired about hiring an aircraft in Nth Queensland and told I could hire the aeroplane but the instructor would have to fly with me - what fun! Anyway I hope someone gets something out of this. It could have cost me lots and ended badly.