Winging it Down the Castlereagh

[onetrack]

They've been reading this thread!

[old man emu]

OK! Another request for your comments. I have created a flight plan form to be used in the Event so that competition entries are all, as the cliches go, on the same page, or singing from the same hymn book.

 

Your comments on it will be greatly appreciated.

 

Old Man Emu

REVISED FLIGHT PLAN FORM.docx

[RossK]

1 hour ago, old man emu said:

Your comments on it will be greatly appreciated.

8 legs on your route, only room for 6 on your flight plan sheet

[facthunter]

I'd do the load bit separate. There's plenty of different ways of doing it and It's illegal to rely on fuel for balance. I usually leave room for notes at suitable places on the RHS. (Like actual fuel used) or frequencies etc. People flying high won't see some features as well as you do lower down.

[old man emu]

9 hours ago, RossK said:

8 legs on your route, only room for 6 on your flight plan sheet

The Event route only has 6 legs - like an insect, not 8 like a spider. Where did you see 8 sectors?

 

9 hours ago, facthunter said:

There's plenty of different ways of doing it and It's illegal to rely on fuel for balance

I copied that from a flying school information booklet. I should have included a row for useable fuel, because that adds to the take off weight, even though the designers might have placed the centre of mass of the fuel so that it had a Moment of zero.

[RossK]

10 hours ago, old man emu said:

The Event route only has 6 legs - like an insect, not 8 like a spider. Where did you see 8 sectors?

 

From this;

posted in this thread earlier.

Indicative Times Route 2 (1).docx

[old man emu]

Got ya. Too many things whizzing around in my head when I designed it.

 

How's this for a solution? At the moment the sheet is in portrait orientation. If I switch it to landscape I can add columns for two more sectors,  and widen the columns in the top section. That would mean moving the W&B and Pilot's notes sections to the right hand side of the page.

 

Got to get back to my house renovations. I'll work on it tonight, and put up a revised form for comment.

[old man emu]

OK. I have redesigned the flight plan form to allow for up to 10 waypoints, or whatever the navigator chooses.

 

I have retained "usable fuel" in the W&B because its weight is going to be present at the start of the flight.

 

How is this one?

 

OME

Flight plan landscape.docx

[old man emu]

IT'S ON!!!

 

CAA has said, "OK". All we need now it entrants

It has been a hard slog over many long months getting permissions, doing the preparatory paperwork for CASA, and getting sponsorship to put on this event. The next step it to determine whether all the work has been worth it. Do we go ahead, or call the whole thing off? That decision rests on the response from the people for whom the event was created - recreational pilots who want something more to do than putter around their aerodrome's training area.

 

Right now we need to get expressions of interest from potential entrants. That interest can be heightened by obtaining the information pack, which explains how to get into Tooraweenah, and the rules for the competition. So, please, email the Organizer at the address on the poster to get that pack.

[old man emu]

An extra interest for those attending:

 

It will be the New Moon over the weekend of the 20th May. That means that the night sky will just about be at its darkest. Tooraweenah is located in a Dark Sky Park. This means that there is no light pollution from cities, so the night sky looks like this:

 

I am going to ask the people from the nearby Siding Springs observatory to prepare a presentation to be given to those staying over on Saturday night. Come and meet Dhinawan, the emu in the sky who tells a lot of information about securing a food source at the right time of year. For example, when the emu reaches its first full appearance in the sky (where the head down to the body can be seen above the horizon), it is said to be the mating season of the emu. As eggs are laid, this was the time of year for the Gomeroi people to gather the eggs as a food source.  Dhinawan's head is what Europeans call the dark nebula known as the Coal Sack, which resides in the Southern Cross.

 

[Old Koreelah]

Any mozzies?

[facthunter]

They wouldn't be game.  Nev

[old man emu]

3 hours ago, Old Koreelah said:

Any mozzies?

Ya need water for them, mate! But just in case we'll give 'em the Flick.

[Blueadventures]

On 18/01/2023 at 6:08 PM, old man emu said:

UPDATE: 18 JANUARY 2023

 

I submitted the application to conduct an Air Display to CASA today. They have replied by pro forma email that they have got it. The wait begins. I know that they won't give an answer before I submit the Emergency Response plan, but at least they have something to look at and provide a quote for dealing with the application - at a minimum of $120.00 PER HOUR!!!!!!

 

I received information about Public Liability. What I got makes anything coming out of CASA understandable by a kindergarten kid. All I understood was tha the premium was $1350.

 

Regarding fuel (Mogas). One way or the other we will have empty 20 litre approved petrol jerry cans available. Anyone who wants Mogas can borrow as many as they need. We will advise the pump price and those who need fuel can pay us the pump price for the amount they need. (We could supply fractions of 20 lites if needed.) The we will ask for $5 to pay for our fuel to go into Gilgandra to get the fuel. If a person has a collapsible fuel bladder, we'll take them in in the same way as our jerry cans.

 

The good news about the fuel is that the petrol station we are going to get the petrol from had its underground storage tanks replaced late in 2022 as well as its pumps. So you can be pretty certain that the fuel will be as clean as practicable.

Would be nice to have some mister funnels available to assist in clean waterless fuel.  Even pilots attending could loan them out.  Just an idea for you.  Cheers.

[facthunter]

The HEXHAM GREYS allegedly take away their prey, they are so large. Nev

[old man emu]

18 hours ago, Blueadventures said:

Would be nice to have some mister funnels available to assist in clean waterless fuel.

Mogas can be sourced from a servo that had its underground storage tanks replaced not long before Christmas 2022, and also the pumping system was replaced. The fuel from this source would probably be as clean as any fuel coming out of the suppliers' terminals in Sydney.

 

We are also negotiating for the supply of Avgas.

[Carbon Canary]

Is the servo still operating in Toora ? - I thought it had closed up shop.

 

Vague rumour of a self-contained isotainer with integrated bowser being located somewhere nearby but I think it was for diesel anyhow.

[old man emu]

2 hours ago, Carbon Canary said:

Is the servo still operating in Toora ? - I thought it had closed up shop.

 

That's my biggest problem - no servo in Toora. However, I've organised it so that if you have your own container,  and you give us the money for the fuel (at that day's pump price), we will go to the servo in Gilgandra with the new tanks and fill the container for you. We might have a few 20 litre approved jerry cans to lend. We'll just ask for a few dollars to pay for the fuel used in our vehicle. That way we are simply acting as your servant and we don't bear liability for the quality of the fuel. A bit like getting UberEats to deliver your Macca's. When you are submitting your entry form, you will be asked if you require Mogas 98.

 

On another matter - we have arranged with the local show society to use their shower facilities. We will take you from the aerodrome and back and all you have to do is give a donation to the show society.

[old man emu]

WHERE'S YOUR ENTRY?

 

There's a mob of Benalla and Deniliquin blokes coming. What about you who live a bit closer?

 

Email me at [email protected] for the Information Package.

[old man emu]

Copy of the CASA Instrument of Approval.

 

If your insurer questions whether CASA has approved this event, contact me and I will send you a copy of the Instrument of Approval.

[old man emu]

So that this event can be run safely and the possibility of aircraft chopping off the tail feathers of preceding aircraft, I have to prepare an order of departure. I will not be able to do that if people try to enter on the day.

 

Therefore AIRCRAFT ENTRIES WILL CLOSE MIDNIGHT 13 MAY 2023

To make registering for this event simple, we’ve created a Google Form. Please visit https://forms.gle/5zwPr3ZCJUexGWwS7 to register your entry.

 

However, entries from passengers in the "Neatest, correct flight plan"  competition will be received up to 10:30 am on Saturday 20 May 2023.

 

 

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

On 7/4/2023 at 12:51 PM, old man emu said:

Copy of the CASA Instrument of Approval.

 

If your insurer questions whether CASA has approved this event, contact me and I will send you a copy of the Instrument of Approval.

What about those of us with NO insurer? 
My aircraft is not insured.
The only insurance I carry is the cover inherent in my RAAus pilot certificate. Is that what you mean? If so, perhaps we can get a group endorsement from RAAus?

[Bruce Tuncks]

Me too old K. I have never believed in insurance. Why would they pay me when they could use the money to advertise?

When I told too much of this around the club, they made me Insurance Officer. Did I reform the paying?  I wish I were more brave, but the club was paying about $50,000 in premiums and collecting about $20,000 a year in claims. all our claims were payed out wonderfully. It would have taken somebody braver than me to bet this pattern would continue....  What if a passenger flight caused a young doctor to become a quadraplegic?

So I am no longer any sort of officer and I like that.

[Bruce Tuncks]

Apart from the insurance aspect, I wish you well OME. I'd like to come n say gday, but the insurance is a problem for me too.

[Bruce Tuncks]

That story about insurance is about 20 years old, and we have not made ANY young doctor into a quadriplegic....  In fact, we have not hurt anybody.