poteroo

On a location basis that's probably true. Actually Chapter 13 SAAA is Albany + Denmark + lots of other places in the Great Southern and Western South Coast. Besides the 10 RV's that I've already posted, there are another 14 to come so I'll tack a few onto this reply. (7). Building has slowed down here as we've all aged and the original enthusiasm of the late 90's has burnt out. You can see our formation group of 2005 is now much different - far less t/w RV6's and more 7A and 9A models. Esperance has a lot more building activity these days with about 6 RV's based down there now. Their only problem is that there's no formation rated instructors available there atm. happy days,

We have quite a few RV's in this South Coastal region of WA. Most were built here. At least 50% of owners are also formation endorsed. We have a strong SAAA chapter here (#13). The 1st 10 aircraft are shown below.

When I learned to fly - it was a matter of skills 1st and procedures last. Somewhere in between it has been reversed.

Yes, he proved a more able civil Administrator than an Army General. He was also a great walking advertisement for RayBans:victory:

Not wrong! A recent rash of enquiries re mustering endos, (GA), indicates that many oldtimers are calling time and there is already a scarcity of experienced pilots with authorisations. It's going to be the same with GA low level - calling the unchanged course of training a rating, and requiring annual competency checks by a Flight Examiner, (previously an ATO), will soon see a shortage of authorised LL trainers, and absolutely nobody able to check. And show me a GA instructor with substantial tailwheel experience. SAAA are trying to setup an instructor group to provide competent service to new Experimental aircraft owners, but unless something happens soon - there just won't be enough experienced people remaining to train the next gen. happy days,

There are certainly many opinions on the 'ending' of WW2 in the Pacific. A very well researched and written book is RETRIBUTION: The Battle for Japan 1944-45 by Max Hastings. The politics of halting Russian expansion would certainly have been one factor in the decision to use the A-bomb, as would the estimated 2 million American losses should they invade Japan. However, Hastings proposes that good old fashioned retribution was one of the major drivers for President Truman. The shocking barbarity of the Japanese occupying troops, whether to military or civilian prisoners, or the occupied civilians - was just too much for the Allied leaders to overlook. Most of our returned soldiers would be in full agreement with him.

Our Falco owner is similarly miffed when referred to as a 'skinny RV'. Notwithstanding that, the Falco fits into our RV formations quite well from a speed viewpoint, (120-140 KIAS). We keep it on the centreline so that the formation remains symmetrical. We try to fit any different types onto the centreline. Our only objection is to flying with high wing types - mixed groups are inherently less safe. happy days,

A couple more from this last weeks formation work. As we overflew the airport, the Roulettes were all just taxying back after having landed not long after we'd become airborne - 19 aircraft in 2 groups. We're improving, and it's attracting new starters - another 2 RV owners starting next week. Pics include both VNE, (the RV6), and VFE, (the RV9A).

A subject of much importance to GA and RAAus. For most of our aircraft having a stated load factor of + 3.8 and - 1.9, your Va = approx. 1.95 x Vs. (I use a rule-of-thumb of x2 Vs). So, the higher the stalling speed,(read weight), - the higher the Va. There is quite a range for Va in most aircraft - can be as much as 15 kts. I'm often stunned to hear pilots describing the Vno speed, (top of the green/bottom of the yellow arc) as being Va. We need to increase the amount of instruction in this subject, especially as our aircraft now have ever wider speed ranges.

Albany hosted a large number of local and interstate visitors this year. By 4.30am - all 4500 'places' up on MT Clarence were taken and they could fit no more. Thousands more watched on CCTV down in the city. The main parade began at 10.00 passing a crowd estimated at over 12,000. The Review commenced at at 11.00 with a flypast by 7 Roulettes. The OIC for the day was ACM Sir Angus Houston. Our small effort for the event was to 'close' the Review at 11.35 with a flypast of 12 aircraft. (11 RV's and one Falco). We have a mix of skills so chose to fly as 3 separate, but close, flights of aircraft in a diamond 4 formation. This avoids the claustrophobia that some pilots feel when in larger diamonds. enjoy the pics,

It may help if we were to introduce pilots to conditions of more 'marginal' visibility than we currently do. Only by flying around with vis of say 3nm, or 5nm, can the pilot learn just what this looks like. It's a bit akin to learning your 'height above ground level' when beginning low level training. We set QFE for a farm strip in out LL training area, then fly the 'student' @ progressively lower heights, eg 500-400-300-200-100 agl. and encourage them to 'recognise' these for future reference. I believe the same thing needs to be done for visibility, and maintaining VFR criteria. anyone?

you forgot the duck tied to the string - an essential for wet weather flying.

They can, and they will. My US licence is a simple card....but then, CASA knows that a Cessna flies differently here in Aussie air...and you have to get used to it being inverted too! This RPL is an absolute revisit to 25 years ago when it was called a 'Restricted PPL' All that was then required for a full PPL was to do your NAVS and they must have included CTA/CTR/CTZ....then the restriction was cancelled off your licence via a crossed line with a signature over a stamp. Simple really. Calling this new 'licence' an RPL is something of a deliberate muddying of the waters. It's not recreational aviation - that is what CASA underfund RAAus to administer. What CASA administers is GA. If CASA now 'recognise' an RAAus PC as equivalent to their GA RPL - why bother with the separation of categories at all? Again, it's intentional 'make work' activity which the taxpayer is funding. So much for cutting red tape by this federal government! think I'd better take my medication, good night.

A few more. Eventually plan to mount Go-Pro to record individual flights for students - waiting for factory to fix a safe hard point in cabin roof. Cautious about anything other than a Velcro fix atm.

Good advice. It's not as if this is a new obstacle for pilots. Service pilots had to convert from trainers to single seat, high performance fighters without any dual time. They were briefed, read the AFM/POH until they knew it by word, sat in the cockpit, pressed the button....and headed out. John Laming has written a humorous story on how he self-endorsed onto a Hawker Sea Fury. Aggies faced the same learning process. In 1971, I'd just done my Ag-2 and needed separate endos on each ag type. I was directed to DYO my endos on PA25, C188 - and after a few shakey manoeuvres - it was all go. You do need to be in very good practice. happy days,

Flew a photo-shoot today over Albany City, harbour and King George Sound. Photo aircraft was a C172 and we did it all at 75 KIAS and 2500 ft.

G'day Andrew, As you'll find out, most pilots are a little 'technical' and so really like to hear and see the numbers for a flight. When someone posts a 'round Australia' story and there's not a single fact about power settings, fuel burn, refuelling points & prices and weather facts - you'll hear a lot of teeth gnashing from the techno pilots. As Phil said, being able to hear your CTAF radio traffic, plus the instructors' patter is quite informative and gives your aviation vid some real guts. We can hear loud music anywhere. BTW, I began my WA life flying in/out of YGEL in a beat-up C180 back in early 1970. There was no Dongara strip in those days and we used to land on the 'straight' of their race-course. At GEL, I used to land on one farm strip on the road to Nabawa - before you reach the top of the hills. There was also another strip just past Moonyoonooka on the N side of the Mullewa road too. YGEL airport may have several new 'terminals' but the strip layout is much the same as it was in 1970, and that not much different to 1945 when it was RAAF. In fact, it's one of the very few 3 runway triangular airports still in use. Perth was one of these until they closed 11-29 in about 1990. Great choice of landing options - which you'll learn to appreciate because the wind certainly blows in that region. best of luck with your training, happy days,

Probably so. If anything, the wx was improving when we passed YNRV at around 0400z. We kept below the layer of Cu and Scu which was formed in the steady rain from higher cloud. I'm loathe to climb up in those conditions because you can get trapped 'between layers'. Our trip was a good lesson in maintaining forward visibility by keeping well clear of a cloud base in rain. As we normally use 123.45 for all our formation chatter, while leader listens out on local CTAF, or 126.7, if we are out of range of CEN repeaters - we don't hear any CEN dramas. happy days,

Some 25-30 aircraft eventually turned up on Sat 18th, after battling the widespread rain and low cloud all the way from the West Coast to Esperance. One reportedly caused an upset on MEL CEN by calling for 'help' somewhere near Ravensthorpe.... haven't heard any more on that so it must have ended in a safe landing. There were quite a few RAAus aircraft represented at Myrup - a Savannah VG, a Thruster, 4 Jabs, a Tecnam P96, a Sportstar, and a gyrocopter. There were at least 6 Cessnas of many models, a couple Pipers, a Cirrus 22, and the inevitable big bunch of RVs from Albany (5), Bunbury/Busselton (2), and Esperance (3). Brian Goodwin gave us an adrenaline rush with his torque turns done at the end of each spray run with his Jetranger. Near perfect height above ground at 60 kts too. The Albany RV's arrived in formation, then did another flight later in the afternoon as the weather cleared. It was a good w/e.

I agree. I'd expect to see a letter of retraction from one party on this matter. A ramp check is done for education - not for punitive purposes. All pilots, (GA or RAAus), need to toughen up and stop acting like a bunch of wooses over ramp checks. If you half tried to follow the sensible requirements then there would be no need for ramp checks in the first place. Many of you seem to blame it all on the 'cowboy' element. But, cowboys, in the real sense of this pilot description, are a self-eliminating group. The gene pool is shrinking. The problem is with those of you who don't believe the rules apply to you, or that you are smarter than the average pilot, or both. If CASA don't cease doing them in the future, then you can probably expect to see RAAus Ops doing it instead. And you might not be as happy if that occurs because you'll, in fact, be paying for it. Stop the whingeing!

The best career enhancing policy is to create a demand for an explanation of the changes you've just made, to a regulation which itself was unnecessary, because the US model would have fitted Australia well in the first instance. CASA are past masters of this bureaucratic artform.

CASA still haven't been able to explain their intent in CASR Part 61 - so we'll be waiting for some time before they get around to a revised CAAP for Flight Reviews. happy days,

Logical and well supported scientifically it may be - but the sticking point for most Aussie taxpayers is that we are being asked to support a never-ending expansion of this search. At what point will Canberra cease this search? Who will then meet the further recovery costs if something is detected? Meanwhile, it's business as usual for MH. happy days,

Received mine yesterday and a quick read says its' a handy book and I think it will be welcomed. It covers CASR Part 61, although it's likely there will need to be some changes to parts of that. Nothing really beats a hard copy. happy days,

Very relevant post here TAA. CASA have been a law unto themselves ever since I've been in the aviation game, (52 years now, and counting.....slowly). My concern is that, after much prodding, the 'bear' will emerge from it's cave, (Canberra has many), and lash out at it's tormentors. And the easiest of those to attack are the RAAO's such as RAAus. It has a backlog of several Coronial recommendations toward ensuring these groups adopt better safety measures - what more reason? The major problem for RAAO's is more to do with additional funding to implement the many safety related 'wishes' which are, and likely to be, foisted upon us. CASA isn't funding RAAus adequately at present. Minister Truss needs his alarm clock reset and his nanna nap interrupted to positively direct CASA.....again! We can but hope! happy days,