poteroo

Why not find a CFI who will do it as a single seat BFR? I'd certainly consider that option. happy days,

Well done mate. Airshow/display flying can be quite scary. You can't be totally sure that you're inside the boundaries that the organisers,(and CASA),have set - and, you don't want to soften your performance too much. IMHO, the reason that there are less country airshows is a combination of CASA's heavy regulation + exorbitant insurance cover. happy days,

I'd agree that the GA instructor doesn't have any 'say' - but only because he/she doesn't know that the pilot is going to use that endo as a BFR under RAAus. CSU for a BFR - what a joke! happy days,

I think you'll find that the Regs wording is may be acceptable. Yes, it does give the checking instructor some room as to whether they consider the flying done really does meet the requirements of a FR. It's a stretch to say that a t/w endo or a formation endo really meets the intention of a FR. AFIK, there is no 'policy' toward this within RAAus Ops. happy days,

Frank is correct . For acceptance of a GA FR, it should be in a similar type, eg, fixed pitch, and generally lightweight <1000kgs MTOW. And, it should be a review, not a test or check for some other purpose such as a formation endo, a t/w endo. happy days,

You should really avoid anything larger than 6.00 size. Using them instead of 5.00 adds around 4-5 kgs I think, but going to 7.00 or 8.00 really does pile on the kgs. Interested to hear how things progress, cheers

G'day RJ, What's your serial #? Mine was #036, and it took longer than I'd care to admit to take delivery. I say this with some circumspection because the factory is probably getting better at production. I guess that when the Chinese production line begins to flow, and the built up airframes begin to arrive in Cowra, things may speed up. By now, I'd say the early 'bugs' in the Rotax 912iS should have been sorted. The only problem that I know of is that it cannot be matched to the 'older' Dynon EFIS & EMS such as the D100, D120 or D180 models because these do not have CAN technology in them. The Skyview does. So, you're up for a few more shekels but at least you can have integrated GPS, Mode S, a Dynon VHF COM, and even a Dynon intercom. I asked for a couple of extra items on mine. 1.I have had small NACA air inlets fitted forward of each door, and these feed outside air into the cabin from around knee level - lower would be even better. With these variable inlets open, you can close off the noisy face level screw vents in the side Perspex - helps to not have air blasting over your mic. I'd be surprised if these don't become standard. 2.I also had an Anderson plug fitted so that the engine can be 'jump' started in event of weak battery in cold weather. It is located on the firewall aft of the nosewheel - allowing for it to be disconnected, (safely), after the engine is started. Sure beats pulling cowls off! 3. The factory fitted an LED 'landing light' to the nosewheel frame and it works well as a recognition light in the circuit. 4. I also had 2 red LED beacons fitted - rather than white strobes - because they can be operated in dispersal areas, and create no radio noise. Good for my case where I'm traversing a high security area on a full security RPT airport. There are a few other points that I'd rather not disclose here - you can call me on 0427 200673 for a chat if you like. cheers,

Pointing to a spiral @ 60-70 KIAS rather than a very low level stall?

100km road distance.

Sorry we can't help hangar wise. however, there is a section of very well protected grass located between hangars, (on all 4 sides), which could be used for small aircraft to park and be relatively safe from our often strong winds. Like many local government 'owners' of airports - ours has had grandiose ideas of Antarctic flights, International direct flights, and large International Training Colleges. None have eventuated. They have spent millions to maintain an ILS, to upgrade runways to F100 standard, and on a new full security terminal. Virgin Australia still operates old F50s into here, and has recently cut weekly flights from 20 down to 12. A more realistic reaction to declining demand I'd say. A very disappointing outcome for so much money spent - but that's what happens when you have State government preventing open competition on the RPT route. happy days,

Andrew, Can't help you myself as I have 5 aircraft in a 22 x 15m hangar already. Albany Regional Airport is pretty crowded for hangar space because of the landlords' inadequate planning and surveying of sites - plenty of space, just no will to make anything happen! The closest private strip is 28kms NW - probably not what you need. I'll keep an ear to the ground about temoporary space, but to my knowledge, there are around 8 other owners seeking full time hangarage. btw, YABA is a full security RPT airport, (127.85), with AWIS on (122.125), and you definitely will need ASICs unless you have someone with an ASIC to escort you while airside. happy days,

Don't think the sideslip theory is too inviting. A mission pilot in PNG tried it in a Dornier 27 and hit so hard that he killed himself, although his pax survived. I met other PNG F/L pilots who had successfully made it by landing up a relatively steep slope to shorten the run. Others had literally taken off the wings,(and fuel tanks), by arriving between tree trunks. Others had landed 'onto a sandbar' in a narrow river/stream. Most of Oz has better opportunities. These days I am usually prepared to take extra time to avoid bad stuff....a sign of age I guess. happy days,

See the thread 'Perth Trip' under Trips/Events for some current details. happy days,

I forgot to add that April + May are probably the 2 best months to fly the south coast of Australia. There are less troughlines + TS moving SE out of the tropics, and the early cold fronts are small and of short duration. You also expect less hot N winds which make the Nullarbor such an ugly locale when they blow.....gritty dust everywhere and usuall some unmanageable crosswinds on narrow strips. There are probably more HIGHs in the Bight at this time of year, (but they seem to last only 1-2 days), and these are great for E to W flights because the lower level winds are more E-SE. happy days,

It's Home in Hangar 23 at Last Landed in Albany 2.20pm on 24th March. Except for a couple of small niggles, it's flying well. After 15 months without a revenue earning FTF aircraft - we are finally back in business! happy days,

OK Andy, this may help. I've been over and back last year in my RV, and back this week in the Brumby. Ceduna seems ok to me for AVGAS. Sometimes the BP cardswipe is a bit cranky, but keep trying different speeds and impacts with your card. Place is currently getting very busy with choppers and other support aircraft for the oil/gas exploration happening offshore there. Getting PULP involves a taxi ride 2kms into town. Nullabor has an archaic avgas facility but management is good, prompt etc. Or, you can taxy round the front and fillup direct from the 98 PULP bowser - a great help. Price was $1.849/L, one hell of a saving on >$3/L for avgas. Border Village has very narrow strips, lots of sharp limestone on edges and plenty skippys - beware. Has avgas, but difficult to get around to the PULP bowser. I think that you can access the Cocklebiddy pumps. Caiguna has avgas at rear of servo, but you can (carefully) taxy round thru some roads past the avgas and reach the most easterly pump - which happens to be 98 PULP @ $1.98/L I don't know about Balladonia Roadhouse - understand that you can easily get PULP, but need to check avgas prior. Don't make the mistake of landing at Balladonia Station tho - it's down at the W to NW turn point of the Hwy. From there, it's a bloody long flight over trees to reach Esperance, or straightline to Norseman is the same. Follow the road around past Fraser Range Stn (now has a large mining strip serviced by turboprops). Norseman is an unknown. Unless you can get a taxi, and fill your own drums with PULP? There is nothing available in the wheatbelt in a straightline from Norseman to Murrayfield until you reach Narrogin. The Gliding Club has avgas there - prior arrangement. Alternatively, you could go from Norseman to Southern Cross where you can get avgas...which is closer than Narrogin, and beats going due west over a lot of bush! Details in ERSA. Now, the weather. I am prepared to sit in Port Lincoln for a day or two just to get a big High in the Bight which will give you plus lower winds. i once waited 2 days, then flew an old C172 from PLC to Albany in under 9 hrs. Headwinds are usual over 5000 ft. I tend to fly the Bight section from Ceduna to Caiguna at 1500 max to pickup whatever SE breeze is going. Quite often there is a hot NE/N/NW wind blowing at 20-25 over 3000 ft, while down on the deck it's actually cooler in a S/SE breeze. More often than not the crosswind effect cancels out any GS gain - but at least it's not severely negative. I left Lincoln before lunch Monday 23rd March and flew @ 1500 all the way to Nullarbor and averaged 90-93 GS from a TAS of around 98. Then Tuesday I left Nullabor early am, but the BoM failed to deliver the promised +10 easterly and I suffered from a 4-5 kt headwind again down low. But, it was worse at 4500 where I had a quick look - 10-13 kts headwind there. Out of Caiguna I flew due W along the Eyre Hwy to Balladonia Stn, then SW direct to Hopetoun and on to Albany. By then, winds had swung further SW and I was back to 83-85 GS at 1500. Tried 4500 and it was even worse,(not unexpected), and then 500agl for a while. That gave me an extra 5 kts, but a rougher ride and higher risk over tiger country. So, in summary - be prepared to keep down low, avoid bending the throttle and extend your range. happy days,

When I flew my very 1st commercial charter job, (in a beaten up C185), I was given the load sheet with all the weights by compartment. Spotted that, apart from the 45 mins fixed reserve, there was the mandatory 15% of flight fuel there as 'variable' reserve. All very well I thought - kick the tyres and light the fires....we're off. On the way out the door, one of the old hands pulled me aside for a quick bit of advice. 'Mate', he said, 'your fuel here is calculated on a block speed of 120kts - which that clapped out old 185, at full gross weight, flying at 8500, is just never going to achieve'. He continued 'and, the weather up here is not friendly - you'll rarely get anywhere in the company calculated time, so that's why we have this arrangement with the refueller to top us up with an extra hours fuel - better to be overweight,than out of noise' Of course I knew better than this decrepit old 'has been' - so blasted off into the tropical clouds. I got back with 14L remaining in the 298L tanks! The gauges sat on E for the last 15 mins. Never, ever again did I ever depart with less than an extra hours fuel onboard. And when we were all ramp checked by DCA,(CASA in an earlier iteration), we were invariably cautioned for overload, but commended on our 'prudence' in carrying fuel instead of freight as the overload. Ben, being a lowly newbie CPL is a tough gig, and you need to think about your job security. But, a bit of extra fuel goes a long way toward your safety. Most Cessnas will carry a 15% gross weight overload for ferry flying, so don't sweat the weight v strength issue. If management insists on minimum fuel uplift, then you need to take responsibility for your own refuelling and make sure that minimum allows for unforeseens. happy days,

Nev, with respect, it will help you no end to read what's on the CASA website, and the RAAus site, and then read the very long threads on this forum and also the one on pprune. We are all still trying to interpret what CASA has created, and there have already been several of the intended changes placed on hold. I expect there will be a lot of future changes too. It's just not possible to give you an instant précis of what's changed. In my opinion, the major change has been that CASA have given 'recognition' to RAAus training via a very simple conversion from Pilot Certificate,(RAAus), to Recreational Pilot Licence,(GA). happy days,

The 180HP conversion also has a 40 kg increase in GW, (part of which is used up by the heavier 0-360 engine). Scenics are very easy to run with around 60-70L fuel, which allows for adequate load. Of course, if the pax roll up as 110-125kg individuals, the question is more - are they able to get into the aircraft without you having to lift them in. (you need to consider pax mobility because it could be a significant brake on unloading in an emergency). happy days,

C182's are not cheap to operate. It depends on whether you plan to use a Continental 0-470 powered 182, (pre 1985), or a Lycoming IO-540 powered model 1997 onward. Fuel consumption is similar - but maintenance different. The older aircraft will all need SIDS to be completed. They also have engines which experience cylinder glazing unless flown hard - not what you'll likely do on scenic. Low hours pilots also have more accidents with C182's - many hit nosewheel first and firewall damage is common. If it was me choosing the aircraft, I'd be inclined to opt for a 180HP conversion of a model C172N or P, (probably costing you $80-120k), or go for a C172S with 180HP (much higher cost of course... perhaps upward of $150k?). These will give you the ability to lift 3 pax in most conditions, and achieve 110kts around the scenic. These are simple to fly, cheaper to operate, and on short trips - the flight times are not that much less than a C182. The TBO is also higher, and the fuel burn considerably less (10-12 LPH). These are simply opinions, although I did own a C180 for 5 yrs and a C182 for 12 so am reasonably conversant with costs. happy days,

Acro, you've clearly had a run in with the Regulator, and bear a grudge. None of us are really satisfied with their performance, and that's why we all contributed to the Forsyth Inquiry last year. Did you? We can only change behaviour by concerted effort. I'm the first to oppose 'strict liability' on such petty misdemeanours as not carrying ones' licence. It has to be changed so that pilots have the same rights to presumption-of-innocence as any other Australian. As for 'making mistakes'............... well, in 52 years of flying I've made many. In at least 4 instances it involved being asked to show cause why my licence,(CPL), should not be suspended. It involved a lengthy grilling by an FOI, or several in the same room. In not one of those cases was the action taken any further than a very robust discussion behind a closed door. I could see their interpretation, and they could see mine. I'm not in any way saying that CASA don't get it wrong. They often do. But we either live within the regulations, or we fight for change. In this low flying case, the pilot clearly offended against CAR 157 - because the evidence was overwhelming. He would have had no valid reason to fly low, (as provided in the exemptions to CAR 157), and my money is on his never having held any formal low flying qualification as well. All the other waffle about RAAus certificates and registrations is just peripheral to this case. He flew low - and he was nicked. End of story.

Doesn't CASR Part 61 make things so simple? How did we manage before it? happy days,

Does your RPL navigation endo cover CTA? AFAIK, you must have CTA experience before doing your PPL Licence test. Whether this entails Class C as well as Class D is another point to ask the flight school with whom you hope to be proposed for the test. Good luck at getting into Class C with any certainty though. Happy days,

You are right in the majority of cases. However, it's to do with the demographic. I began a specialist agricultural newsletter in 1980, and grew it's numbers steadily until I onsold it in 2005. The new owners were thinking of going to an online version - but found resistance to the idea. They have retained the hard copy + no advertising concept, and increased the circulation by 20% or more, at a price 30% higher than 2005. What that informs me is that farmers want hard copy - for a number of reasons. I'd say these pretty much align with pilots. If RAAus go to digital, then they need to make a full PDF copy of each months mag downloadable, free-of-charge, from the website. That is the only way that you can expect to use the magazine as 'advertising' intended for younger prospective pilots. That will mean that those who choose to remain on hard copy, (extra $50+?), are really funding the advertising for more members. Is this intended, or is it equitable? happy days,

The possible employers benefit just as much as trainers. The old 'supply & demand' trick?