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An update on my current thinking and research I have done. The hosting cost (server cost) can be reduced, there is a question on software, I need to get out to all the old site users to remind them the site still exists and there is a question on advertising... Server (hosting) Currently our server is a dedicated server in France. It is bare bones in terms of that only an experience server administrator can manage, it doesn't have a control panel that I know how to use. It is spec'd at: CPU: E3-1240 V6 @ 3.7Ghz Memory: 64GB DDR 4 Disk Set: 3 x 500GB (SSD) Raid 5 IP's: 1 usable ip Premium traffic 300mbs ! Price: 89€ Server Admin Support: 50€ No control panel Total: 139€ at say 0.58c = $240AUD Option 2: A new server based in LA, West Coast USA that is much faster than current server, shorter distance to Australia, faster to a potential US audience and has a control panel so I can do basic maintenance. This is a very high quality and faster server than we have now however as this server is on special, anything cheaper is far inferior to what we have now. It is spec'd at: CPU: Intel’s Fastest Xeon E, 2288G 8 Core 3.8Ghz >20,000 Passmark Memory: 64GB DDR4 ECC Ram Disk Set: 1.2TB NVMe IP's: /29 5x usable ip's 100Tb over 1gbps connection Price: $150USD No server admin support DirectAdmin Control Panel Total: say $150USD at say 0.68c = $220AUD *The small reduction in monthly cost is used up in the first year by initial setup costs Option 3: Australian based servers are a lot more expensive for what you get but minimises the latency to Australian users but increases the latency to international visitors resulting in a very much less appealing resource for them and the site is downgraded by the Google Search Engine. Location: Sydney CPU: E5-2670 V1 Memory: 32GB Disk Set: 2 x 480GB (SSD) IP's: 1 usable ip Data: 7TB Price: $210AUD No server admin support DirectAdmin Control Panel *The small reduction in monthly cost is used up in the first year by initial setup costs. This server is spec'd lower than our current server and really only good for Australian users. My suggestion is Option 2 as I believe user increase may happen if the site is fast to suit potential US users, it has a control panel so I can do general maintenance and manage the sites better plus it has the latest technology Software I have swapped and changed between XF and IPS too many times trying to give users far more features which has damaged the user base however the users don't seem to need, or want so many features however I do need to differentiate the site from Facebook i.e. make the site a resource or reference for information. Option 1: IPS (as in now) Cost: $400 a year Functionality: Extensive with the ability to create any type of section Support: Best with Ahmed who is an IPS developer and reasonably priced User Friendly: Average as with the ability to create anything the site becomes bloated and not user friendly Option 2: XF Cost: $200 a year Functionality: Limited to XF core functionality and addons developed by 3rd party vendors Support: Average with the XF support forums however I know how to do general development in the XF coding User Friendly: Very good with much easier to use functions and features for all level of users My suggestion is Option 2 as IPS is far more expensive as in double the price of XF, users can use the features of XF in a more friendly manner, XF has the ability to check the existence of email addresses before sending out emails which will enable mail outs to old users to try and get them back to the site and with the addons most of the important user functions (sections) of the current site are available. The graph also showed a steady increase in the user base whilst on XF but dropped considerably and stayed stagnant after we went to IPS Mail Outs If we go for XF we can send out an email to all the previous users to advise the site is still going and has xyz available to them. If we stay with IPS I would need to find (purchase) software, if it is available, to ascertain if the email addresses used by old users still exist. My suggestion is to use XF to do these mail outs Advertising Advertising will be available to anyone that wants to have a display advert in the right column on most pages of the site. I will begin with a small token payment. I will also amend the No Advertising rule in the site rules to advertisements can be made in specific areas such as user signatures and other specific sections of the site in a manner to help site users. I will also add Google Adsense to the right column. Any return gained from advertising will be used to promote the site on Facebook and Google pages On a final note I think we need to find some kind of tangible incentive for users to get their friends and associates into using the site

I had adsense a few years back and you get very little from it, about $100 every 3 to 4 months. The best option is actual sponsors with a display advert in the right column at say $50 to $75 a month and if you could get 5 of them it would pay the site financial cost. IPS has the management of them built in whilst in XF there is an addon that provides for the management of them

Over the years I have probably put around $50,000 to $60,000 raw cash into providing this resource for ALL recreational aviators in the hope that it helps to keep them safer and reduces the number of silly mistakes that are made that causes injury or even death to our fellow flyers simply through the exchange of helpful information between us all. Add to that I believe I have put in more hours of every day of every year than the entire RAAus board combined to help recreational aviators. I became an RAAus board member to expose all the underhand activities towards recreational aviators and then later was thrown out of the RAAus, legal action taken against me, aircraft distributor tried extortion against me, and so much more of all these kind of activities taken against me for having this site/resource. I have given recreational aviators a voice over all these years much to RAAus's disgust so you can forget RAAus's support in any way although I don't comment on them any more, and on the other side of the coin I have been dealt extreme prejudice against me by some site users for simply being human who just like them and everyone else has good days, bad days, can make good decisions and bad decisions all in just trying to help everyone in the MOST NICE AND FRIENDLY way and try to do what I could to keep recreational aviators safe in an activity that can at times be dangerous in a happy environment. I can only help people if there are people to help...and that is the crux of the current issue. Facebook costs nothing and takes just about nothing to manage so the effort a person needs to devote to other recreational aviators is negligible compared to here but as we know with Facebook you get very little in return compared to the potential you could get here...but only if there are people to give it. For those that were here at the beginning would remember me saying that a person will never ever have to pay to get help from here so any form of paid subscription to access valuable information to help them is strictly not endorsed by me...First Class Member is a donation and in return you not only help the site to continue but you also get extra site functionality not extra information that will help you to fly safer as that must be available to everyone, however I do truly thank those that help the site by way of their small donation, it is greatly appreciated. The simple question that needs an answer amongst all of this is, as I said, I can only help people if there are people to help so how do we do that, we will probably never know if a person has read something here from another user that prevents injury to themselves or damage to their aircraft but at least the information is here and many many recreational aviators are also here helping each other to do that. If the site does not achieve this then the financial cost and dedicated hours should be stopped...I hope not!

Thanks DJ...so in context of the site what would you do for: unload - ??? power off - ??? roll level - ??? pull out - ??? this could be really helpful

The difference between the software I.e. IPS vs XF is IPS around $400 per year and XF around $200 per year. Hosting is around $250 per month.

The basic financial cost is around $3,500 a year for just the current hosting and license costs

Ok, if I save dollars and use the XF site software it will mean yet another change which could see the loss of even more users but other users may be more comfortable with it. I spent a few days developing what an XF site would look like just in terms of what we have now and we get: IPS as Now XF Forums Same Forums but a lot simpler search and post creation Groups - I wanted to get flying clubs and schools to create a presence here by them creating their own group Groups - but with less functionality so may not be comprehensive enough for clubs and schools to want to create their own group Blogs - not really used but had hoped kit builders would create a blog on their build No Blog Alternative Events - has multi calendars and RSVP options 3rd Party Calendar addon that costs $60USD Media - Gallery Included as a single solution for both pictures and videos which can be separated by categories Media - Videos as above Articles 3rd Party Articles addon (currently have) Aviation Accident Articles Would need to be included in the Articles 3rd party addon as a category (if we still wish to make them separate) Resources - Downloads Included in XF which can also accommodate Tools and Calculators Resources - Tools and Calculators as above Resources - Tutorials Would need to be included in the Articles 3rd party addon as separate categories Quizzes (not yet developed) No Quizzes alternative Maps No Maps alternative Aircraft 3rd Party Articles addon (currently have) called Showcase People (not yet developed) No People alternative although could be again be included as a category in the 3rd party Articles addon Pilot Supplies Shop (IPS has an integrated (including user login) shopping cart system that was planned to replace the Clear Prop site) Would need to keep the non integrated Clear Prop site Classifieds No Classifieds alternative - could use a forum or get one developed Suppliers No Suppliers alternative Members Members but without daily champion Off Topic - either integrated (with filters) or separate site Off Topic - either integrated (with filters) or separate site Whats New - all of site integrated together in the one page Whats New - uses separate Whats New pages for each area of the site i.e. not all integrated into 1 page Overall XF would be easier for the user but is limited in future feature development (example the many different areas that would need to use categories within the one single Articles section XF is cheaper in yearly license and 3rd party addon fees There are many other little features that are different between the two solutions and far too many to list here but those that were using the site prior to going to IPS would probably know them

G'Day

Thanks Mate, problem is I am not a salesman

It's a pity that with the hundreds of users that come here these are the only replies to help the site: The question The answers

I could manually add the view count totals if it is the wish of users to go down that path

Ok, as a site stakeholder i.e. YOU, do you want me to: 1. Pay for another year of the IPS license ($400) OR use the Xenforo license which is already paid up? 2. Migrate Whats Up Australia into Recreational Flying OR leave it separate? 3. Run a donation campaign OR find someone who will get sponsors for advertising on the site to pay for Facebook and Google advertising? Come on...what say you??????????????????????????

Well everyone, we need to get this sorted now as the IPS software license has expired and needs to be renewed: I am also exploring ways to email all users that have not been to the site for some time however that is proving difficult with so many invalid email addresses so when an ISP receives a couple of emails to invalid email addresses they stop emails going to valid ones. Example of the bounced back messages I get from emails sent to users with an isp after a couple of invalid addresses are: [email protected] SMTP error from remote mail server after initial connection: host "ipmailmx.internode.on.net" [192.231.203.138]: 550 Too many invalid recipients and that is even just sending out emails in batches of only 100 So software and contacting older users???

A couple of people have said this so what I would really really like to know is what is not liked, what was it about the old software (Xenforo v2) that was better than this IPS software like is it the user functionality, the look and feel of the site i.e. cosmetics etc. I can see with the IPS software, Groups, Blogs, Suppliers and People are not used, Resources and Gallery are also no longer used like they were before but with IPS it was easy to bring you Classifieds, Articles and different article sections as well like reading articles, tutorials, aircraft, etc

On many of the pages you will see a Site Donation box

Sorry I haven't fixed the Whats New on WUA as I am still working on importing the site back into a Off Topic section here

Many years ago the main forum site software that was used was by a company called vBulletin. In recent years vBulletin has dramatically declined and now the front 2 runners are Xenforo, the site software we switched to from vBulletin nealy 10 years ago, and the other is IPS (Invision Power Services) which is the main forum software we are using today. However along with IPS we also use many different 3rd party applications on the site that are developed to work with IPS. Each solution (i.e. vBulletin, Xenforo (XF) and Invision (IPS)) has their own idiosyncrasies, features within each component and user functions. Xenforo is very much forum centric with a Gallery and Downloads sections as well whilst IPS is a total site solution with not only Forums, Gallery and Downloads but also Groups, Blogs, Events and the ability to create many other different sections.

So what you are saying is that the XF software was better for a conversation site? What is also being said in this thread is the site needs more promotion, which we all know costs money over and above the software licenses and monthly hosting costs. Plus many of those still on the site don't use Facebook Lastly, you are saying we need to find out why users have left the site AND/OR try and get them back BUT what about antagonistic posts also coming back which can push others away

What ads are appearing, I can't see any unless you are referring to the Classifieds section

That was when we moved to IPS So how do we fix this? It is a damned if you do and damned if you don't although one thing I have noticed is that the moderators don't have to do anything any more (except for the odd spam)

For those that don't know, this site has been going for nearly 19 years now. For nearly 19 years I have dedicated myself to helping recreational aviators to stay safe, learn from each other's experiences and help with their aircraft maintenance. I went to a software platform that induced user involvement to help each other. I then changed to a complete web site solution that provided so much more as a service to recreational aviators but the site was impacted... Well, after moving to that new software platform I was told to give it time and my site would recover, "it will take 6-9 months" and other comforting statements that my site will get back to what it was. In its prime it was getting between 2,500 and 3,000 unique visitors per day but then came a competitor using Facebook for the quick and easy posting so I went full on site to offer more than just the interactive forum of facebook. To do this I needed a full blown web site software solution which IPS is compared to the previous platform of Xenforo. I then swapped back and forth panicking due to the drop of user numbers but eventually stuck with IPS as a full site solution. Give it time they said, well here it is after 6 months and still completely flat, no gradual increase, now sudden lift in numbers, the site has so much more now with the IPS database feature and many addons like Classifieds etc. How much more time does one have to give? If there was a slow and gradual increase I would be happy and go along with "Give it time" but I no longer have faith in either IPS OR Xenforo compared to the all mighty, all conquering Facebook. The stupid thing is this site offers so much more, so much that Facebook could never provide but here we are, the software license now needs renewing, hosting costs $250 a month and I am working on the site every single day trying to improve it. What am I missing? What have I done wrong? Is there a solution that I can do to help recreational aviators more in giving them a way that they can learn and help each other, keep each other safe and have fun?...tell me, please, be brutal if you need to be

CEO and Director of Aviation Safety Shane Carmody comments: With 2019 rapidly drawing to a close it’s time to reflect on the achievements of the past 12 months and look ahead to the challenges of the near future. In a recent speech to the Regional Aviation Association of Australia I set out my current five priorities. They cover finalising the remaining civil aviation safety regulations, improving service delivery through digital enhancements, finalising the plain English guide to the new operating rules, the successful transition to new fatigue rules and remotely piloted aircraft systems. Work on the three remaining civil aviation safety regulations - parachuting, sport and recreational aviation operations and balloons – is progressing well. Manuals of standards to support the package of operating regulations is also well advanced and will be completed next year. Longstanding concerns over the new fatigue rules have been addressed and there is now broad support for this approach. The new fatigue rules commenced on 2 September this year, with transition to be completed during 2020. In addition we have a number of large initiatives underway to improve the way CASA does business. The first is known as service delivery transformation – best described as our big ‘client facing’ project. The intent is for you to get services from CASA much more quickly and simply than in the past. Significant improvements have already been made and we are working on others such as an on-line digital aircraft registration system and an electronic pilot licensing system. The second is our regulatory services and surveillance transformation initiative. This is our entry control and surveillance project which will see us improve the way we manage a wide range of tasks, utilising a more targeted and streamlined approach. A key outcome of this project will be greatly improved consistency in decision making. We will achieve this by creating one central area, which we are currently calling a guidance centre, through which all questions will come and from which all answers will flow. No longer will we have different interpretations from different inspectors or different regions. A lot has been achieved during 2019 and with the initiatives we have in train there will be many more runs on the board during the year ahead. As always the goal is maintaining our strong aviation safety record and constantly focusing on the evolving nature of risk. Please read my speech to find out more about our priorities and current issues. Best wishes Shane Carmody Updates Service and surveillance improving CASA is making important changes to the way it delivers regulatory services and surveillance functions for air operators, maintenance organisations, flight training organisations and other aviation organisations. A new operating model is being finalised to make a range of improvements in key areas. The goals are to deliver nationally consistent guidance to the aviation community, ensure the effective and efficient processing of applications and submissions and to better focus CASA surveillance on risk. One of the key features of the proposed new operating model is the segregation of CASA’s guidance, entry control and surveillance functions. By segregating these functions CASA will be able to better manage regulatory and service dealings with aviation organisations. The aim is for CASA to be fairer, quicker and consistent. Underpinning the new operating model will be the provision of centralised entry and exit points for doing business with CASA, national support services to improve consistency and enhanced processes and systems. These changes will represent a new way of working for CASA and will mean some changes for some aviation organisations. To make sure aviation organisations are aware of the coming changes and benefits, CASA will be talking to operators and holding local briefings. Charter maintenance policy open for comment Comment now on future requirements for maintenance and continuing airworthiness for the charter sector. A policy proposal is open for feedback until 22 December 2019. Under the new Civil Aviation Safety Regulations charter operations will be part of the air transport category and be covered by Parts 121, 135 or 133 - depending on the aircraft, weight and passenger capacity. Continuing airworthiness requirements need to be adjusted to be compatible with this new regulatory framework and to ensure they are appropriate for each sector of air transport operations. The proposed policy puts forward changes in areas such as continuing airworthiness management, who may carry out maintenance, maintenance performance rules and approved maintenance organisations. In developing the policy CASA has worked to ensure regulatory requirements are proportionate to the risk associated with the relevant operations and has considered the economic and cost impact on individuals, businesses and the community. The proposed changes will supersede the requirements in Parts 4, 4A and 4B of the Civil Aviation Regulations that currently apply to charter aircraft operations. Seven information sessions are being held around the nation during December 2019 to provide details of the proposals and to answer questions. Have your say on the proposed maintenance and continuing airworthiness policy. Book a place at an information session now. Ballina broadcast area Due to an increase in air traffic at Ballina a new radio broadcast area is being established. All aircraft operating within 10 nautical miles of the Ballina/Byron Gateway aerodrome, from the ground to 8,500 feet above mean sea level, will be required to make radio calls. The change will take effect on 5 December 2019. The broadcast area will enhance communication in the vicinity of Ballina and reduce the incidence of unknown visual flight rules aircraft conflicting with regular public transport aircraft. CASA has received safety occurrence data and formal feedback from operators about aircraft not making recommended radio broadcasts in the vicinity of Ballina/Byron Gateway aerodrome. The use of VHF radio in the broadcast area will now be compulsory. The Common Traffic Advisory Frequency at Ballina, Lismore, Casino and Evans Head remains unchanged at 124.2 MHz. Aeronautical publication charts will be updated as soon as possible. Pilots in the new broadcast area should still keep a look out for other aircraft as some pilots may not yet be aware of the radio requirements. Brush up on radio procedures in non-controlled airspace. ADS-B final deadlines loom Two temporary instruments to allow some aircraft operators longer to fit automatic surveillance dependent-broadcast equipment will expire in 2020. This means anyone relying on these instruments to continue to fly their aircraft under the instrument flight rules needs to act soon. The instruments will not be extended, so any aircraft not fitted with ADS-B will have to fly by visual flight rules only. The two instruments - CASA 114/16 for Australian registered aircraft and CASA 113/16 for foreign registered aircraft - expire at midnight 1 January 2020 and midnight 6 June 2020 respectively. ADS-B transmitting equipment mandates have been progressively implemented in Australia since 2007. The final mandate, requiring all aircraft operating under the instrument flight rules to be equipped with 1090 MHz extended squitter ADS-B, took effect on 2 February 2017. Aircraft in breach of the mandate that are not operating under an exemption may incur a fine for non-compliance. Find out more about ADS-B. Civil Aviation Act changed Amendments to the Civil Aviation Act were passed by Federal Parliament in October 2019 and came into effect November 2019. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Michael McCormack, said the amendments will ensure economic and cost impacts on aircraft operators are considered when CASA develops aviation safety standards. Mr McCormack said the changes are designed to support a regulatory environment that continues to maintain safety as the highest priority without unnecessarily restricting innovation and growth. “This amendment is one element of the Liberal and National Government’s support of aviation which also includes the new Regional Airports Program, the Women in Aviation initiative, continuation of the Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program and the increase to the student Higher Education Loan Program loan limit,” Mr McCormack said. “Aviation continues to evolve but remains an essential ingredient to the economic success of this nation, and the Liberal and National Government is committed to ensuring its aviation policies continue to help sustain a strong and viable Australian aviation industry. I also acknowledge the bipartisan support on the amendment by the Labor party and its ongoing support on aviation safety matters.” Changes to publications Airservices Australia is no longer providing a number of CASA document services. This affects the Civil Aviation Order amendment service, Civil Aviation Advisory Publication Complete and Civil Aviation Advisory Publication Operational Complete publications and subscriptions services. From mid October 2019, the CAO and CAAP subscription service ceased being available for purchase or renewal. All current CAO and CAAP amendment subscriptions will run until they have expired. From November 2020, the paper-based version of the CAAP Complete, CAAP Operational Complete and amendments will no longer be available for purchase. Airservices, through its agent CanPrint, will continue to sell the CAO complete publication, which will be updated twice per year commencing in 2021. The changes to the way the publications are available has been driven by the fact that many people in the Australian aviation community have moved away from paper-based products and they are now easily accessed electronically. Civil Aviation Orders and Civil Aviation Advisory Publications are available for free from the CASA website. Find out more about Airservices publications. Get Civil Aviation Orders and Civil Aviation Advisory Publications for free. In brief All CASA offices will be shut from 25 December 2019 to 1 January 2020. Normal services will resume on Thursday 2 January 2020. Please get in early if services are needed around the holiday period as applications lodged at the last minute are unlikely to be processed before the shutdown. CASA staff will be on call for urgent aviation safety matters over the Christmas-New Year period – simply call 131 757 and follow the prompts. Give the gift of safety this Christmas. An annual subscription to the Flight Safety Australia magazine print edition is the perfect present for everyone in aviation. Or pick up some back issues in stock now for your holiday reading. Available at the CASA online store. Remember, CASA’s Brisbane office has moved to a new CBD address at 180 Ann Street, Brisbane. Telephone numbers remain the same. New forms are available for operations involving the carriage of firearms or the carriage and discharge of firearms from an aircraft. The forms help to make the firearms application process simpler as they more clearly outline requirements. Guidance material is also provided. Full information on CASA’s website. Be safer – get to an AvSafety seminar More than 95 per cent of pilots who take part in an AvSafety seminar consider it makes them a safer pilot or changes their safety behaviour. That means it is important to attend an AvSafety seminar in your area. The theme of the current seminars is ‘expect the unexpected’. Topics covered include pre-flight planning, aeronautical decision making and checklists. Several case studies are examined covering weather, fuel, weight and balance and airspace infringements. The importance of in-flight decision making is also covered, including some of the traps in decision making. Checklists are discussed, with several safety occurrences examined where the correct use of a checklist may have stopped an incident or accident occurring. In December 2019 AvSafety seminars are being held at: Warnervale Bankstown Bunbury. Book a place at a pilot safety seminar now. Horsham engineers seminar An AvSafety seminar for engineers is being held in Horsham in December 2019. The theme of the seminar is ‘the human component’. Three key topics will be covered - engineering errors and the lessons learnt, the human component of engineering and proposed new general aviation maintenance and continued airworthiness regulations. The focus will be on exploring the human component of engineering and the cost factors involved in maintenance errors. Importantly there will also be discussion about the proposed Part 43 general aviation maintenance regulations for private and air work operations. CASA’s aviation safety advisors welcome discussions and questions. The Horsham seminar is being held on Wednesday 11 December at the Horsham Aero Club. Book a place now for the Horsham seminar.

I am not completely happy with the new Accidents Media section and not sure if there is a better way to have accidents listed that will help to educate and invoke discussion. Do I just move the media reports as threads to the Accidents and Incidents forum or keep going as I am...or what else could I do to make it a better solution...your thoughts?

While fatal accidents in amateur-built aircraft remain at historic lows, a slight increase in the total for the last 12-month reporting period shows the continuing necessity for dedicated educational efforts to push the total even lower, according to officials with the Experimental Aircraft Association. The FAA reports that for the 12-month period from Oct. 1, 2018, to Sept. 30, 2019, fatal accident totals for the experimental category overall, including amateur-built aircraft, racing aircraft, those used for exhibit only, research-and-development, and some types of light-sport aircraft, rose to 52 — five above the FAA’s “not to exceed” goal of 47 for the period. Of that total, 39 fatal accidents were in amateur-built aircraft, an increase of four from the previous reporting period. The FAA measures accident totals on an October through September annual basis to coincide with the federal government’s fiscal year. The National Transportation Safety Board also reported in November 2019 that fatal accidents in all categories of general aviation increased in calendar year 2018 after several years of decline. “What this increase tells us is that enhancing safety is not simply a target number to be reached, but a continual effort to build on the positive foundation we have already established,” said Sean Elliott, EAA’s vice president of advocacy and safety. “We are pleased that the accident totals remain below the challenge goal FAA issued to us in 2010, when the agency asked us to reduce the accident rate by 10% over the ensuing decade. It is not enough to simply reach a number however. We must keep a steady focus on making improvements, especially as the number of general aviation flight hours have increased over the past several years.” Elliott noted that the overall fatal accident numbers for experimental category aircraft remain much lower than other recreational pursuits, such as boating, skiing and snowboarding, and driving all-terrain vehicles. EAA has worked closely with the FAA and NTSB on recommendations to reduce fatal accidents, including through participation in the FAA General Aviation Joint Steering Committee that EAA has co-chaired for the past three years. Efforts have also included more than 2,500 copies of the EAA Flight Test Manual now in the hands of amateur-built aircraft owners and the increasing use of an additional safety pilot during initial flight testing in amateur-built aircraft. “With already very small numbers involved, a few additional accidents can create a percentage-rate anomaly, so it’s important to focus on driving the overall accident numbers lower,” Elliott said. “We must focus on training, situational awareness, and good pilot skills to complement the ever-improving technology that is part of today’s aircraft cockpits.”

Be heard, be seen, be safe at Ballina Flying in and out of Ballina will be changing from Thursday 5 December 2019. Due to the increase in air traffic in the area, all aircraft flying between the surface and 8,500 feet within 10 nautical miles will be required to make radio calls. This change is to improve the situational awareness of pilots flying in and out of Ballina. The Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) at Ballina, Lismore, Casino and Evans Head will remain unchanged (124.2 MHz). This information has been published via NOTAM for Ballina and a supplement for the Aeronautical Information Package (AIP). Chart updates will occur in May next year. You can also view the instrument on the Federal Register of Legislation. Whilst this change is being implemented to improve pilot situational awareness, it is important to still maintain a good visual look out for other aircraft. If you are unsure of what radio calls to use in uncontrolled airspace, you can view our operations and non-controlled aerodromes webpage and download our Be heard, be seen, be safe – radio procedures in non-controlled airspace booklet.