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I gave up on jetstar and have been flying Tiger without any real problem...the latest my flight out of Sydney was ever delayed was about 40mins and I never had my early Monday morning flight cancelled...BUT...I thought I would try jetstar again, first flight back with them is this evening and already received an SMS saying my flight has been cancelled. I have had to be moved to another flight and looks like I have lost my 1F seat that paid extra for. STAY AWAY FROM JETSTAR

Hi All, well it has been some time now using the new software platform of IPS after moving from Xenforo and everything I think is starting to come together and settled. The 3 months I gave it is up so I want to hear if you are still happy with the site software now. The next 6 months was planned to be the development of everything for the site followed by the final solution to my dream for the long lasting future of this great resource. So please vote in the poll and post anything here that you would like to say about the site and thanks always for your comments on how I can do things better

Announcements New edition of Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Careers Guide now available We’ve published a new edition of the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Careers Guide. This edition provides helpful tips on how to become an aircraft engineer; how to get a licence and where to go for the appropriate training. Visit the CASA website to download your copy. Consultations New registration and accreditation scheme for drones Consultation is now open on CASA’s proposed new registration and accreditation scheme for drones. We are proposing to introduce a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) registration and RPA operator accreditation requirement as a way of monitoring the safe and lawful operation of RPAs, commonly known as drones – and we want your feedback on the details of the scheme. Modernising the fatigue rules Public consultation on the draft CAO 48.1 Instrument 2019 closes soon. Don’t miss the chance to have a say on our proposal to modernise Australia’s fatigue rules by 10 February 2019. Visit our Consultation Hub and make sure your feedback is counted by the closing deadline. Advisory Circular defect reporting Consultation has opened on draft AC 20-06 v1.0 - defect reporting for aircraft and aeronautical products. This AC replaces Civil Aviation Advisory Publication (CAAP) 51-1(2). This AC introduces information on defects that do not need to be reported to CASA and applies to aircraft maintained under CASR as well as CAR. Visit the Consultation Hub to provide your feedback. Summary of consultation on proposed Part 101 MOS We’ve published the summary of your feedback to the recent consultation on the proposed Part 101 (Unmanned aircraft and rockets) Manual of Standards 2018 which provides details on the rules for commercial and professional drone operators. Summary of consultation on CD 1804OS – proposed changes to the rules for rotorcraft air transport operations – Parts 119 and 133 We’ve published the summary of your feedback on our recent consultation on the proposed changes to the rules for rotorcraft air transport operations. Exemptions New exemption for flight examiners We’ve remade the exemption CASA EX146/16 to allow certain flight examiners to conduct a flight test for the grant of a commercial pilot licence (CPL). View the new exemption (CASA EX159/18) on the Federal Register of Legislation website. Projects Project approvals We’ve approved the following two projects this month: Project OS 18/08 - Amendments to CAOs 40.7 and 82.7 to align with CAR Part 5 and balloon class definitions in regulation 5.01 of CAR Project US 18/09 Remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) registration and RPAS operator accreditation scheme Project closures We’ve closed Project OS 09/24 – Early implementation of some proposed CASR Part 61 Policies via CAO.

That's actually good news that there has been no negative impact on speed by changing servers. The reason I say this is that we were using a very efficient software platform Xenforo and moved to a more resource intensive solution of IPS. Next we moved from a local Australian server based in Sydney to a server based in Los Angeles USA which would mean a big impact in speed due to latency i.e. the time it takes for the data to go from the US to Australia. The US server has higher spec's than the Aussie server and for only a little more costs so the higher spec's has been enough to overcome the latency which is good. The other good thing is that this was a strategic decision as well...having the server in the US allows the site to be more appealing in terms of speed for Google and all the potential new international users. So overall it has worked...if necessary I could look at doubling up the SSD drives into RAID 0 as forum sites performance comes from, and in order of, Disk Drives then Ram, then Processor Cores/Threads and lastly Processor frequency (speed). Database solutions need to get the data off the disk as fast as possible and then hold as much as possible in ram. This data and PHP functions need as many processor cores/threads to process the data that is given to it. The spec's of the new server are currently [LA] Intel E-2176G, 16GB DDR4 ECC, 500GB NVMe S 970, 1gbps port, 30TB out, IPMI, /29 Note the 500GB NVMe S 970 is the Samsung SSD and are the new types and the same as the 2 I have in my local PC set in RAID 0 for development...they are the best Drives you can get. Thank you all this that voted in the poll as information like this really helps me to do a better job for you all

Thanks mate and I also forgot to mention that Flying Clubs and Schools and Aircraft Manufacrurers, Distributors/Agents and things like that are ALWAYS welcomed to post in the forums about what they are doing and offering as I see them as an important part of our aviation community

That's ok as it is not commercial to you...the point is I don't want people to use the site as just a means to make money for them greedy selves when I have done all the work and paid out all the money to provide the site...I hope you can understand that and if in doubt at any time just simply ask, I respect that. Remember we have the Classifieds for members to sell their own private stuff, we now have the Supplier's Section for the Commercial stuff, let's try and keep the forums for community discussions of interest and help each other. Many years ago I had a user register and then start to saturate the forums with their products, this I didn't like as all they saw the site for was a way to make money for themselves without anything else, this is what I don't like and will stop.

Please NOTE that Commercial Advertising is now allowed here at Recreational Flying (.com) as long it is aviation related and IS CONTAINED IN THE SUPPLIERS SECTION ONLY. No commercial advertising is allowed in the forums and we are strict on this as we don't want to see the community discussions plagued with advertising posts. Also note in terms of Pilot Supplies please don't create commercial entries in the Suppliers section for Pilot Supplies Stores as this will conflict with our very own Clear Prop Store, hope you understand

Hi All, it gives me great pleasure in announcing that we now have a completely new dedicated section for Suppliers in the Aviation industry to promote their wares, products and/or services to everyone in the aviation industry...pilots, aircraft owners and even business to business in the industry. AND GUESS WHAT....IT IS ALL FREE!!!!!!!! The only thing I ask is that any commercial entries do not conflict with our own Pilot Supplies Store Clear Prop and if in doubt please just simply ask first. But, this new section will allow users to add commercial entries into the site for not only for site registered users but also all the thousands of visitors that come to the site who are not registered (and why not??????) So Recreational Flying now allows commercial content which I hope will help everyone in the flying community so get on to everyone you know, your LAME, your Flying School, the accommodation place you like staying at, the places of interest, the places that give you the best service and prices etc...get them all to come here and add their business in the new Supplier's Section. Oh, there is also a Supplier's News component where they can announce any special deals they have going or new product releases etc and much more...let's all please try and make this the best Yellow Pages service in aviation...just click on the Suppliers link in the main menu column and let me know of any enhancements you would also like me to try and make for you...as always, thanks for your support

A couple escaped uninjured after their light aircraft made an emergency landing at a beach in Jeffreys Bay on Wednesday. The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said the Plettenberg Bay pilot and his wife were found safe at the beach. "The pilot had landed on the beach in an emergency landing during a flight from Port Elizabeth to George following suspected motor failure," said the NSRI's Paul van Jaarsveld. Van Jaarsveld added that the crew joined the police, Kouga Fire and Rescue Services and the Eastern Cape government's Emergency Services personnel who had already been activated by the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre. Van Jaarsveld said the incident was being investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority. The light aircraft reported to have landed on the beach in an emergency landing. (Supplied) In June, two people were killed when a light aircraft crashed near Midrand, Johannesburg in a residential area. The victims were the pilot and a gardener.

From CEO and Director of Aviation Safety, Shane Carmody Successfully finalising outstanding projects and regulatory changes has been a priority since I stepped into the position of CEO and Director of Aviation Safety. It was very clear there were too many issues which had simply dragged on for too long. This situation was not fair on the aviation community and meant CASA resources were continually being juggled between ongoing commitments and the need to address new issues and challenges. It made it harder to make progress on organisational, regulatory and service improvements. As we launch into 2019 the good news is very substantial progress has been made on outstanding projects and reforms. The new suite of flight operations regulations has been made, the aviation medical system has been reformed, new training regulations are in place and the policy on low level frequency use has been settled. We have a new and improved approach to safety surveillance and the transition to the new sport aviation regulations is underway. Of course, there is still much work to be done in relation to many of these issues, but we have jumped significant hurdles that in the past have slowed us down. A key benefit of our achievements, which have been made with the contribution and co-operation of a raft of people across the aviation community, is that we can spend more time and effort focusing on the future. We can identify further improvements and reforms that will contribute to better aviation safety outcomes and seek better ways of doing business and delivering services and safety support to the aviation community. One area in which more will be done is the delivery of online services for functions such as licensing and aircraft registration. Being a regulator means there will always be critics. Some will say we are too prescriptive, too heavy handed and not flexible. Others will say we take too long to deliver outcomes and are not closely enough engaged with the aviation community. At times these comments may be true, but I can assure everyone we will be working hard in 2019 to be the best possible aviation safety regulator for all sectors of the aviation community and the broader Australian public. Best wishes Shane Carmody Latest news Book now for special Avalon safety forum It’s time to book a place at an important safety event at this year’s Avalon air show. CASA, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and Airservices Australia are presenting the FlySafe 2019 Aviation Safety Forum. A range of safety experts will share their knowledge on positive safety reporting cultures and will work though responses to a hypothetical accident at a busy airport. The hypothetical will bring to life the roles each aviation agency plays in learning from accidents and improving safety. FlySafe 2019 is a first for the Australian aviation community and is open to Avalon air show trade visitors, exhibitors and conference delegates. The program includes presentations from Airservices CEO Jason Harfield; ATSB Chief Commissioner Greg Hood; and CASA CEO and Director of Aviation Safety Shane Carmody. The forum will also hear from Group Captain Nigel Ward, Director of the Defence Flight Safety Bureau, and from the Chief Commissioner of New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission, Jane Meares. The forum is free, but places are limited. The forum is being held on Thursday 28 February 2019. Book a place now at the Avalon air show FlySafe 2019 forum. Drone registration and accreditation scheme Consultation is underway on the details of a proposed comprehensive drone registration and accreditation scheme. CASA is planning to introduce the drone registration and accreditation scheme progressively in the second half of 2019. Under the proposal all commercial drones will need to be registered, while recreational drones weighing more than 250 grams will be registered. The cost has yet to be determined by CASA. It will depend on whether the drone is flown for fun or profit. It is likely to be a $20 or less annual fee (per person) for recreational drones and for some model aircraft operators. There will also be an annual registration fee likely to range from $100 to $160 per drone for each commercial drone. Accreditation will involve online education, based around a video, and an online quiz. All recreational drone flyers 16 years and older will need to be accredited, as well as drone operators in the excluded category, which includes under two kilogram commercially operated drones. Accreditation will need to be renewed every three years. It is proposed that people will need to be 16 years or older to register a drone, with younger people needing to be supervised by a person over 18 years old. The Federal Government has supported the introduction of a mandatory accreditation and registration system for drones. This was in a response to the recommendation from a Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport inquiry. Find out more about proposed drone registration and accreditation and have your say by 22 February 2019. Drone surveillance underway Data on drone activity near major aerodromes is being collected to inform CASA’s development of new remotely piloted aircraft safety strategies. CASA has engaged a contractor to conduct the surveillance during the first half of 2019. The surveillance will be carried out progressively at mainland capital city airports, as well as around Sydney Harbour, a known drone hotspot. Drones will be monitored at locations near aerodrome boundaries and in and around approach and departure paths. At Sydney Harbour drones will be monitored that infringe restricted airspace. In most instances, the drone surveillance equipment can see where a drone is operating, as well as showing where the controller and operator is located. The technology also provides the serial number or ID of the drone where available. While the drone surveillance is initially being conducted as a trial to gather data, it may be used by CASA for enforcement of the remotely piloted aircraft safety regulations. Keep on top of smoke and fumes Detailed guidance is now available on the management of odours, smoke and fumes during flights. The advice is valuable for all charter and regular public transport air operators. About seven per cent of aviation occurrences relate to fumes and smoke, so it is important for operators to have strategies and processes in place to mitigate risks and respond to events. Cabin crew members need to know how to recognise and respond to fumes and smoke, particularly fumes from air supply systems. Operators should ensure cabin crew training covers the sources and types of on-board fumes, recognising the presence of oil and hydraulic fluid fumes, the potential for impairment, procedures to apply in fume events and the reporting of fume events. Sometimes oil fumes do not smell like oil and may typically be described as mouldy/musty or dirty socks. Hydraulic fluid often has a distinctive and recognisable odour that is described as acrid, unpleasant or pungent. Training should include standardised odour descriptors typically used for air supply system-sourced oil and hydraulic fluid fumes, so aircrew can effectively communicate and report the presence of fumes or smoke. Find out more about managing fume events. Five airspace reviews released A number of reports from airspace reviews have been released. These cover airspace around aerodromes at Rockhampton, Mackay, Wagga, Launceston, Alice Springs and Ayers Rock. The reviews found the airspace arrangements at each location are fit for purpose. At Wagga there are some concerns from airspace users about the mix of traffic operating in a common traffic advisory frequency environment. However, there was little support for the re-establishment of a control tower and risk analysis does not support the move. The review found there should be continuing consultation between airspace users to reinforce local procedures and communication between aircraft, as well as continuing education and information campaigns by CASA. At Alice Springs the review found there were opportunities for better management of traffic, while at Launceston changes could be made to the common traffic advisory frequency coverage. The Ayers Rock review noted Airservices Australia considers there is merit in conducting a trial of lowering Class E airspace to enhance service delivery to instrument flight rules aircraft. Airspace users – including visual flight rules aircraft – could benefit from fitment of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast avionics. Go to the Rockhampton/Mackay, Wagga, and Alice Springs airspace reviews. Go to the Ayers Rock review. Go to the Launceston review. Night aerial fire-fighting makes history History was made in early 2019 with the first night aerial firefighting operations used to combat an out-of-control bushfire in Victoria. The Rosedale blaze in East Gippsland burnt through 12,000 hectares in less than four days in a fast-moving fire front. A total of 60 water drops were made at night on the fire, using helicopters equipped with a snorkel system that collects water from nearby dams and lakes. Aircraft crews also used night vision goggles to map out the fire, helping to provide detailed information to firefighting crews on the ground. CASA has given approval for night firefighting trials by Emergency Management Victoria, allowing aircraft to fight blazes for up to four hours after dark if they have been fighting the same fire during daylight hours. There are now two certified night fire-fighting operators, Kestrel Aviation in Mangalore and Coulson Aviation in Ballarat. Emergency Management Commissioner, Andrew Crisp, said the helicopters were deployed as part of the continuing trial into night fire suppression operations in Victoria. Mr Crisp said the Rosedale fire was a good example of a fire that could benefit from night operations and indications were that the operation went well, with further opportunities to learn. Seminars to support pilots CASA’s popular AvSafety seminars for pilots will continue during 2019. The current round of seminars focuses on developing pilot skills in three key areas – communication, situational awareness and threat and error management. A practical scenario is used to explain the concepts of threat and error management. Pilots work through relevant defensive flying behaviours aimed at addressing human factors challenges encountered in single pilot operations. At each seminar pilots will be given special cards with key information on communication, situational awareness and threat and error management. The cards can be kept in a new AvSafety resource folder to build a library of critical safety information. Cards and folders are only available to people who attend AvSafety seminars. In February 2019 seminars are being held at: Shepparton Melbourne Strathalbyn Jindabyne Nowra Somersby Roma Temora Forbes Lethbridge Adelaide. Book a place now at your local AvSafety seminar. Engineering seminar CASA is holding an engineering safety seminar in February 2019 at Essendon. The seminar will cover a range of topics including leadership and mentoring for aviation maintenance engineers, specialist maintenance certification, Flight Safety Australia maintenance articles and a regulation review update. Engineers, heads of airworthiness and maintenance, other people from airworthiness organisations and maintenance training personnel will all benefit from attending the seminar. This is a great professional development opportunity, allowing people to talk with CASA maintenance experts and ask questions. The Essendon engineering seminar is being held on Thursday 14 February 2019. Find out more and book a place at the Essendon engineering seminar. Flight instructor workshop A flight instructor safety workshop is being held in Darwin in February 2019. The workshop includes case studies, discussion topics and group exercises. Some of the topics covered will be maintaining good situational awareness in the training environment, anticipating student actions, understanding Part 61 requirements, use of GPS in the instructional environment, online resources for instructors and students and maximising the benefit of flight reviews. CASA’s aviation safety advisers will run the free workshop, which will include time for questions and feedback. The Darwin workshop is being held on 6 February 2019. Book your place now for the flight instructor workshop. In brief Consultation is open until 10 February 2019 on revised proposed new fatigue management rules. The proposals are of interest to holders of air operator's certificates, Part 141 certificate holders and some flight crew licence holders. Comment on the proposed fatigue changes now. A new printed edition of the very popular Visual Flight Rules Guide is now available. The guide features plenty of diagrams, charts and maps to support easy-to-read information on all visual flight rules operations. Get your copy now. The fourth annual printed edition of CASA’s Flight Safety Australia magazine is out now. The 2018 Flight Safety Australia Collectors' Edition is a bumper collection of more than 50 stories published in the online magazine during the year. Get your copy of Collectors’ Edition now. An updated airworthiness bulletin on the calibration of compasses is available. This includes advice on calibrating and compensating aircraft magnetic compasses, as well as providing data on the maximum allowable deviations to enable compasses to be maintained to their type design. Read the compass bulletin. Keen to find out more about the proposed new general aviation maintenance regulations? Watch a video now of a presentation on what the proposals mean for the general aviation sector. Go to the video.

Hi, as you may know by now we have moved the site to a new server and I would like to get your feedback on whether you have noticed any difference so please vote in the poll to let me know...thanks

Site is now moved onto the new server.

Hi all, please note that the setup of the new server is underway which will include moving the domain pointers and moving the sites over to the new server. This will impact the site service at times over the next few days so I do very much apologise for any outages that do occurr but the new server is dramatically faster

The U-2 spy plane is an engineering marvel, but it can't land on its own. This is the complicated process pilots have to go through to bring the plane down safely. View full video

Hi All Another enhancement has been made to the site...a completely dedicated section for aviation videos. You can find it under the Media main menu section next to the Photyo Gallery. As each new video is added to the Video Library (currently just set to YouTube videos), a new thread iks created for the video in the Aviation Videos forum. A user can post a comment in the thread or in the Video entry in the Video Library and the comment is displayed in both areas. The Categories in the Video Library should cover all kinds of videos so you can view the videos specific to a category that you wish. Over the next few days I will be manually moving the videos that are in the Photo Gallery that were created when we migrated over from the old software over to the Video Library so you will see many video entries in the What's New page...my apologies if that bothers you So, please start adding any aviation videos that you find to the new Video Library section

Hello folks! Here is the emotional story and video of the Spitfire Mk1. Review : NORTH Lincolnshire motorcycling racer and speed ace Guy Martin returns to our screens tonight for a one-off special where he helps rebuild a Spitfire. Guy Martin's Spitfire, on Channel 4, sees the lorry mechanic, based at Kirmington, join a two-year project to rebuild a Spitfire which was shot down over northern France in 1940 and not recovered until the 1980s. He has risen to national fame with his TV series Speed, and whilst tonight's show is a one-off, a second series of his show will return to our screens this winter as he takes on four new adrenaline-fuelled challenges. But not before he joins a restoration team for a two year rebuild of the Mark I Spitfire, which was shot down on a beach in northern France in 1940, where it sank. The Supermarine Spitfire was Britain’s most successful fighter plane and remains an iconic symbol of the Second World War. Its pilot, RAF ace Squadron Leader Geoffrey Stephenson, escaped and headed for Belgium. The wreckage was finally recovered in the 1980s and stored in France for more than 20 years until it was purchased by a specialist aircraft restoration firm. In this special film, Guy celebrates the people behind this famous fighter and its heroic pilots – the factory workers who risked their lives building the aircraft and the mechanics who worked to repair, reload and refuel the planes and send them back into the skies to defend Britain. Spitfire N3200 was part of 19 Squadron, based at RAF Duxford, Cambridgeshire, where the restoration project was based. Guy’s mechanical skills are pushed to the limit as he takes part in every part of the reconstruction, following the original blueprints in forensic detail all the way to its inaugural flight. He even tests the fighter’s Browning machine guns to see their devastating firepower. The story of Sqdn Ldr Stephenson, who would become the Queen’s pilot, is like something from a Boy’s Own paper and his private diaries, written while imprisoned in Colditz, have been uncovered for the first time for the film. Spitfires carried little more than an hour’s worth of fuel and after just eight seconds of firing would run out of bullets, meaning they had to be turned around with lightning speed to be sent back into battle. The rebuild offers an extraordinary look at the amazing engineering and skills involved in building, flying and maintaining the aircraft. Please Subscribe for more stories of world war veterans or new topics. View full video

A Cold War–era bomber Christopher Furlong / Getty The U.S. Navy recently asked Congress for $139 billion to update its fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. Unlike “conventional” submarines, which need to surface frequently, nuclear submarines can cruise below the sea at high speeds for decades without ever needing to refuel. Defense planners expect that the new submarines will run on one fueling for the entirety of deployment—up to a half century. The advantages of nuclear submarines over their conventional cousins raise a question about another component of the military arsenal: Why don’t airplanes run on nuclear power? The reasons are many. Making a nuclear reactor flightworthy is difficult. Shielding it from spewing dangerous radiation into the bodies of its crew might be impossible. During the Cold War, when the threat of nuclear apocalypse led to surprisingly pragmatic plans, engineers proposed to solve the problem by hiring elderly Air Force crews to pilot the hypothetical nuclear planes, because they would die before radiation exposure gave them fatal cancers. The Italian American physicist Enrico Fermi had introduced the idea of nuclear flight as early as 1942, while serving on the Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb. As World War II drew to a close, the United States began work to realize Fermi’s dream of nuclear-powered flight. From 1946 until 1961, vast teams of engineers, strategists, and administrators toiled in a whirl of blueprints, white papers, and green bills in an attempt to get the idea off the ground. The advantages of nuclear-powered airplanes mirrored those of nuclear submarines. Nuclear submarines did not need to surface for fuel, and nuclear airplanes would not need to land. A 1945 proposal at the Department of War (now the Department of Defense) promised, “With nuclear propulsion, supersonic flight around the world becomes an immediate possibility.” A secret Atomic Energy Commission memorandum now held in the Eisenhower Presidential Library explained the promise of nuclear flight in a more measured tone. Nuclear energy “should make possible ranges of one or more times around the world with a single loading of the reactor.” The idea of a nuclear-powered bomber became a strategic dream for the military; it could stay aloft for days to cover any number of targets throughout the world, before returning to the United States without refueling. The problem of refueling airplanes occupied many Cold War minds. Bombers would strain to reach their targets and strand in enemy territory with too little fuel to return home if they flew on only a single tank. Aerial refueling offered a solution, but a poor one. Planes caught in the act over enemy territory were prone to anti-aircraft fire. Evasive maneuvers would uncouple the two planes, prevent successful refueling, and endanger the mission. To minimize the need for dangerous refueling, the United States relied on a global network of Air Force bases. Such bases—usually close to the U.S.S.R.—allowed planes to reach their targets and return on a single tank of fuel. Procuring the bases, however, proved expensive and unpopular. At one point, the United States offered $100 million in gold to purchase Greenland from Denmark and gain a new strategic location for bases. In the end, Denmark decided to keep Greenland, but the proposal illustrates the lengths the United States had to go to compensate for its planes’ limited range. A nuclear-powered airplane could avoid all of these issues. But nuclear power came with its own problems. The reactor would have to be small enough to fit onto an aircraft, which meant it would release far more heat than a standard one. The heat could risk melting the reactor—and the plane along with it, sending a radioactive hunk of liquid metal careening toward Earth. The problem of shielding pilots from the reactor’s radiation proved even more difficult. What good would a plane be that killed its own pilots? To protect the crew from radioactivity, the reactor needed thick and heavy layers of shielding. But to take off, the plane needed to be as light as possible. Adequate shielding seemed incompatible with flight. Still, engineers theorized that the weight saved from needing no fuel might be enough to offset the reactor and its shielding. The United States spent 16 years tinkering with the idea, to no avail. The Soviet Union pursued nuclear aircraft propulsion too, running up against the same problems. By 1958, an infamous article in Aviation Week, mostly made-up, claimed that the Soviets were already testing a functional nuclear airplane. Shortly after, President Dwight Eisenhower counseled calm and denounced the article as contrived. A representative of the Soviet program explained that “if we had flown an atomic-powered aircraft, we would be very proud of the achievement and would let everyone know about it.” Unfortunately for atomic-flight enthusiasts, both countries had little to brag about. Neither program managed to overcome the problems of shielding and weight. The development of intercontinental ballistic missiles in the 1950s, moreover, weakened the case for developing nuclear-powered bombers. The nuclear airplane became redundant from a military point of view, as ICBMs avoided the problems of manned nuclear flight. They had only one-way missions, needed no refueling, and did not have pilots to shield. Without a military justification for atomic flight, funding withered away. The nuclear airplane began to die a slow death. In the late 1950s, the Eisenhower administration cut the program’s budget. Nikita Khrushchev slashed funding for the Soviet equivalent. By 1961, both countries had dismantled their projects for manned nuclear-powered airplanes. Atomic flight seemed doomed. In a last-ditch effort to keep the nuclear airplane on the table, military strategists considered a radical solution: They could use pilots closer to death. The Air Force would use crews old enough to die of natural causes before the harmful effects of radiation could show up and thus, the logic went, sidestep the shielding problem. As the nuclear-policy expert Leonard Weiss explained in an article for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the proposal would have made radiation shielding unnecessary and decreased the weight of the plane significantly. It might have let the nuclear airplane take flight. The image of a corps of irradiated elderly pilots patrolling the world’s skies ready to unleash nuclear catastrophe drew on a form of ageism that pervaded Cold War apocalypse planning. In civil-defense plans for surviving a nuclear apocalypse, the old were always sacrificed first. Joe Martin at the University of Cambridge’s department of history and philosophy of science explained to me that Herman Kahn, one of the purported inspirations for Dr. Strangelove, made a ranking of food uses after nuclear catastrophe that reflected this Cold War age bias. The scale ranged from grade A (high-quality food reserved for pregnant women) to grade E (radioactive food only good for feeding animals). People over the age of 50 composed group D. Kahn put it bluntly in his book On Thermonuclear War: “Most of these people would die of other causes before they got cancer.” Even that shocking proposal failed to save the nuclear airplane. The Eisenhower administration concluded that the program was unnecessary, dangerous, and too expensive. On March 28, 1961, the newly inaugurated President John F. Kennedy canceled the program. Proposals for nuclear-powered airplanes have popped up since then, but the fear of radiation and the lack of funding have kept all such ideas down. The Air Force still maintains its affinity for older pilots. It has the highest enlistee age limit of any branch in the military, and it increased that limit to 39 years old in 2014. Some pilots could be much older. Last year, in response to a shortage of nearly 2,000 pilots, the Air Force beckoned back retired service members as part of the Voluntary Retired Return to Active Duty (VRRAD) program. VRRAD gives 1,000 former airmen and airwomen the option to return to active duty, possibly including combat duty. Referring to the placements of these retirees, an Air Force spokesperson said last year, “Everything is on the table.” Almost everything, at least: None of these pilots will ever fly a nuclear aircraft. The Atlantic

Hi All I have added some events into the Event Calendar but the only ones I could find are mostly Aero Club Breakfasts so I need some help from everyone...If you know of any event, a Flyin, an aviation gathering, a social event, an education event...ANYTHING to do with aviation, can you PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE put it into the Event Calendar so it comes up across the site for everyone to hear about and may like to attend. There is even an RSVP system so if other site users are attending you will be able to see who you can catch up with face to face. Thanks from everyone to those who add events into the system

Sorry for the delay but I have now updated all the First Class Members in the new site software and got all that working. The main difference is that when becoming or renewing First Class Membership the system sends you an invoice so the current First Class Members would have received an invoice today but please ignore it as they are system generated. I will create a First Class membership block however you can always click the "Manage Subscriptions" option in your site membership menu by clicking your avatar at the top of the side menu.. First Class Members receive many extra benefits in using the site like multiple users in the same private conversation, attachments in private conversations, their user name in Gold, extra lines, pictures, links in their signature, longer post edit times and much much more...it is only less than $1 a week and goes towards the costs of providing the site. Thanks to all the current First Class members for your loyalty and assistance over the years.

Click your avatar or default avatar that is displayed at the top of the menu column and a pop out list of all your options are there

Rolls-Royce is well-known for its plush cars with infinite refinements. It is not generally known for its electric ventures. The company has dipped its fingers in autonomous electric ferries, as well as an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft concept. So why not the world’s fastest electric airplane? Rolls-Royce Toys With Fastest Electric Airplane Plan Red Bull Air Race, we’ve been ready and dearly waiting for electric plane races that would make for a sensational addition to your thrilling air races. Perhaps Rolls-Royce can jump-start e-plane racing. According to Flying Magazine, Rolls-Royce is working on another electric project that takes to the sky in its Gloucestershire airport in South West England. Its Accelerating the Electrification of Flight (ACCEL) project seeks to explore the high-power electrical system for demonstrator aircraft. With the same token, Rolls Royce wants to build and fly the world’s fastest e-plane. Technically, this is a joint venture with the UK government, Rolls-Royce, the Japanese electric motor maker YASA, and Electroflight Ltd. Rolls-Royce wants to leverage Yasa’s high-power, lightweight electric motors for aerospace by simply making the world’s fastest e-plane. Electroflight’s expertise lies with high-performance electric powertrains and energy storage systems, which leads me to think the aircraft will have the capacity to recoup energy when decelerating? Performance wise, the e-plane is expected to reach 300 mph (261 knots, 483 km/h). The press release hints that the e-plane could reach higher speeds, “quite likely more.” It will take to the skies in Great Britain by 2020. Unfortunately, all we know is that the aircraft will use 6,000 battery cells and will have a 200-mile range, enough for a London to Paris flight (214 miles). According to Matheu Parr, ACCEL Project Manager for Rolls-Royce: “This plane will be powered by a state-of-the-art electrical system and the most powerful battery ever built for flight. In the year ahead, we’re going to demonstrate its abilities in demanding test environments before going for gold in 2020 from a landing strip on the Welsh coastline.” Rolls-Royce Pursues Electric Air Mobility According to Rolls-Royce’s press release, the high-performance e-plane will be unlike anything the world has ever seen. And Rolls-Royce is quick to highlight its venerable aerospace achievements. It won the Schneider Trophy in 1931, which started its aerospace career. The British racing seaplane, known as the Supermarine S.6B, established a speed record at 343 mph. The current e-plane record was set by Siemens at 210 mph in 2017. Parr and his team hint that: “and they even have their eyes on the Supermarine record.” The challenges that need to be overcome are obvious. Design and build a battery powerful enough to beat a series of speed and performance records. It has to be light enough for flight and not overheat. For this, Parr says:“We’re monitoring more than 20,000 data points per second, measuring battery voltage, temperature, and overall health of the powertrain, which is responsible for powering the propellers and generating thrust.” Rolls-Royce seems committed to the electrification of air travel. The company is well known for its jet engines, found on many airliners today. It makes sense to move into the electrification of aviation. Indeed, in a previous press release, Rob Watson, Director of Electrical, Rolls-Royce: “The increased use of electrical systems is an inescapable trend in our markets and championing electrification is a core part of our long-term strategy at Rolls-Royce.” So, Red Bull Air Race, ready for electric airplanes? We are. Clean technica

Mid-air collision narrowly avoided when charter planes came within metres of each other near Darwin in 2017 By Matt Garrick Photo: A Chartair Cessna 2010 almost collided with another plane. (Supplied: Chartair) A mid-air collision between two light aircraft was narrowly avoided when the planes came within metres of each other outside of Darwin. A report released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) detailed the moment when one Cessna carrying two passengers swooped in front of the other on December 6, 2017. The passenger charter planes, run by Chartair and Hardy Aviation, were both flying from Darwin to the remote community of Wadeye in the NT's west. "The pilot of [the Chartair plane] commented that ... [the plane] came from the left top corner of his windshield across the nose to the bottom right in front of him and filled the windscreen," the report read. "He estimated the two aircraft passed three to four metres apart." The two planes took off from the Top End capital roughly one minute apart from one another. One plane was carrying two passengers while the other had only the pilot. Photo: A Google Earth image overlaid with tracks of the two flights. (Supplied: Google Earth and radar data – annotated by Australian Transported Safety Bureau) Pilot 'surprised by proximity' The near miss occurred 46 kilometres south-west of Darwin, about 20 minutes after take-off, with the approach controller triggering a "safety alert". "[Hardy Aviation] by radar is on top of you ... Deviate up to three [nautical] miles right of track and maintain 6,000 [ft] until clear," the controller said. The pilot of the Hardy Aviation plane said when the other Cessna appeared "in the pilot's five o'clock position" he "reported being surprised of its close proximity". "He and the passengers in HPA estimated the aircraft came within five metres of each other," the report read. The review of radar data identified that the positions of the aircraft were different from those advised from air traffic control in Darwin. "The approach controller recalled assessing that [Chartair] might be required to descend to the cleared altitude of 6,000 ft at the time the instruction was issued," the report read. "In response to that transmission, the pilot of [Chartair] advised that [Hardy] was now to the right of their track, so [Chartair] would stay to the left." The two planes then continued to Wadeye without incident. Pilots and controllers have 'joint responsibility' In its findings, the ATSB said the "approach controller did not verify the initial altitude of [Chartair], which was outside the allowable 200 ft tolerance". "That resulted in the two aircraft being significantly vertically closer than displayed and, in turn, the controller issuing a safety alert after the near collision had occurred," the report read. It also found that after the pilot of Chartair had lost sight of the Hardy flight, "he advised air traffic control and took no further action to ensure segregation between the aircraft". In a safety message, the ATSB indicated that "pilots and air traffic controllers have a joint responsibility to avoid collisions between aircraft". However, it also indicated that the main onus in such situations was on the pilot. "In controlled airspace, air traffic controllers are not required to provide pilots of aircraft operating under the Visual Flight Rules (VFR) with separation from other VFR aircraft," it said. "While air traffic controllers can provide traffic information to pilots of VFR flights, see-and-avoid is the primary means of preventing collisions between VFR aircraft." Chartair, Hardy Aviation and the ATSB have been contacted for comment.

I am assuming you are referring to the What's New page...the number of days you see is directly proportionate to the number of times you click the "Load more activity" button at the bottom of the page. As I write this I am seeing 3 days worth on the page, if I click the Load more button I then see the last 7 days. The more I click the more days I see up to a maximum of 365 days but then that would take a lot of clicking. So I may be missing what the problem is

That is correct, there is no function on the Forum List home page. I tried to add it to the sub menu however due to the structure of the software and security tokens I was unable to achieve that. I then looked at the Forum List page and found that it wasn't very aesthetically pleasing but it is included at the top right of the What's New page where most users seem to go to, read new posts that they wish to and then mark the site read which covers all the posts they haven't read and are not interested in...hope that helps

If you look at the attached image top right hand corner you can see a that all pages have a link "Mark site read" (top right corner under the search box, that when you click that it will mark everything as being read by you. On a mobile phone it is at the top of the slide out menu