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Bumpy: A Beech Duchess aircraft after landing in a grassy field near the Ravensworth coal mine complex on June 1, 2018. The pilot was forced to call 'Mayday' after an engine failed and the plane continued to lose altitude. IT was a forced landing on a grassy field beside a Hunter coal mine at night in a plane with a failed engine flown by a pilot who eventually called “Mayday”. But the first the two passengers knew of any problems was when the twin-engine Beech Duchess plane hit the ground with the landing gear retracted and slid down a slope, while the pilot “yawed the plane aircraft sideways in an attempt to slow down”. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau report of the June 1, 2018 incident does not record how the passengers reacted, but all three walked away from an emergency landing that left the Duchess seriously damaged. The ATSB said the premature end to the Coonamble to Cessnock flight showed the importance of correctly responding after an engine failure in a twin-engine plane, and a safety briefing for passengers before every flight. The two passengers were wearing earmuffs not connected to the aircraft intercom rather than headsets for the short flight that left Coonamble eight minutes before last light. So they were unaware of problems 50 minutes later when the aircraft yawed to the right as it started a descent from 7500 feet as it neared Cessnock airport and the right engine recorded a loss of power. The pilot told ATSB investigators he followed an engine failure checklist including increasing the fuel mix, increasing propeller revs, advancing throttles and ensuring landing gear was retracted. He turned the carburettor heater on to deal with potential icing, but when the engine failed to respond he started reconfiguring the plane to fly on a single engine. Emergency: A plane didn't make it to Cessnock airport on June 1, 2018 after a forced landing in a grassy field near the Ravensworth coal mine complex following engine failure. This included “feathering” the propeller to reduce drag that prevents a plane maintaining altitude. But the plane continued to descend until the pilot considered diverting to Scone airport until he rejected the plan because of housing near the air strip. “He decided to continue to Cessnock,” the ATSB said. At 6.27pm the pilot declared “Mayday” after calculating the descent rate would not allow the Duchess to clear hills before Cessnock airport. He advised air traffic control he did not believe the plane would reach the airstrip and by 6.30pm was looking for a forced landing area. He chose an area near Ravensworth mine complex because “he knew that flat areas, clear of vegetation, were located next to the mines”. “With no intercom-connected headsets to communicate with the passengers, the pilot did not attempt to warn them and focused on flying the aircraft. The front seat passenger later reported he was not aware of the impending forced landing,” the ATSB said. The plane “touched down in a grassy field on the underside of the fuselage and slid over a slope”, the bureau said. After sliding sideways it came to rest and “the pilot and passengers then evacuated the aircraft using the left cabin door”. “They were not injured but the aircraft was substantially damaged,” the report said. It found the Duchess’s right engine failed most likely because of carburettor icing, and the plane was unable to maintain altitude because of increased drag when the propeller did not “feather”.

The way buildings around Australia's airports are approved is under fresh scrutiny after it emerged that Essendon Airport’s DFO shopping centre complex was built closer to a runway than recommended under international and Australian safety guidelines. The nation’s largest professional pilot association has called the situation at Essendon a "significant safety compliance anomaly", and said that it raised questions about whether safety has been compromised. The planning approval for Essendon's retail precinct has been called into question. Credit:Michael Dodge It comes as the Australian Transport Safety Bureau is close to completing a major investigation into how Essendon's DFO complex was designed and approved. The probe was launched in the wake of a fatal crash in 2017 when a light aircraft ploughed into the rear of the centre. “The very fact that it was allowed to be built is a safety concern for our system," said Captain Marcus Diamond, a safety and technical officer at the Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP). "It means that inappropriate buildings can be built not just at Essendon, but at other airports. "There’s more risk, and we need to know how that was justified.” The family of trucking billionaire Lindsay Fox and businessman Max Beck acquired a 99-year lease on Essendon Airport in 2001 for $22 million, and set about developing retail and commercial buildings around the airport. That included the DFO complex built south of the main runway in 2005. The wider airport precinct is now reportedly worth more than $1 billion, and is home to a hotel, car yards, offices, a whisky distillery and other commercial property, with other developments in the pipeline. It had been expected at the time of the purchase that aviation activities would cease at what used to be Melbourne's international airport. The 2017 plane crash into the DFO has promoted regulators to investigate how the shopping centre was approved. Credit:Seven News But it is today Australia's largest corporate jet base, and home to Victoria's police and emergency air services and other aviation operations. Documents released to the AFAP under freedom of information laws show the DFO building was approved by then-federal transport minister John Anderson on the condition that it did not adversely impact on “navigation aids or operational activities” at the airport. But the AFAP has challenged whether that is what occurred, after discovering in planning documents also released under FOI that the DFO sits just 128 metres from the centre of the runway. That is within the 150 metre flyover area - essentially a buffer zone - either side of the runway's centre line that would form a 300 metre "runway strip width" recommended by the United Nation's aviation safety body, the International Civil Aviation Organization. Five people were killed in the 2017 plane crash.Credit:Justin McManus Two large water tanks, light poles and fencing also sit within the 300 metre zone, which is intended to safeguard aircraft if they run off the tarmac during take-off or landing. As a member nation, Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is expected to try to keep its own safety standards in line with ICAO's. The AFAP said that when the DFO was approved in 2004, CASA's standards allowed the runway to have a strip width of less than 300 metres, but only if a detailed safety case was put forward and all relevant stakeholders were consulted. The pilots body has been unable to access that safety case, with an FOI request met with the response that there was no such document. CASA and the airport could not say if one was ever produced. More buildings? CASA later implemented the 300 metre standard in its own rules, and in 2015 granted an “instrument” that had the effect of retrospectively approving the DFO building, while ordering Essendon to still tell pilots it had a 300 metre strip width. That width is given to pilots in official operational material and informs operators what aircraft they can use, as well as how they are insured. So concerned about the objects within the buffer zone, the AFAP has issued a safety bulletin to pilots warning that the strip width was closer to 230 metres. Essendon Airport now wants to narrow the strip width back to 180 metres, and started consulting late last year with operators at the airport about how that could affect their operations. Essendon Airport is home to Victoria's emergency services air wings. Credit:Paul Jeffers Some operators have raised concerns that narrowing the width could lead to more buildings being built close to the runway, or otherwise interfering with operations or safety, according to one operator who declined to be named. The AFAP's Captain Diamond said that the airport was "trying to narrow the runway strip width even more without proper safety analysis and will allow even more inappropriate buildings to infringe the international standards". A spokesman for Essendon Fields Airport said it had "always operated within all applicable aviation safety regulations", but declined to comment in more detail on matters that were subject to the ATSB's investigation. It said that its main runway had operated with the strip width of 180 metres from 1972 to 2015, and that the DFO and other objects were not within the restricted area when they were approved and built. CASA 'too busy' to check plans Other documents released to AFAP under FOI show the federal government approved the DFO development on the condition that the airport would consult with CASA about its plans and comply with any of its safety requirements. But letters from CASA to the airport released under FOI say it did not have time to check the DFO plans. “Gathering the information required for the authority’s assessment of whether every item in a Draft Master Plan will be compliant with civil aviation safety requirements would be time-consuming and expensive,” one letter says. Essendon is Australia's biggest private jet base.Credit:Joe Armao A CASA spokesman said the DFO building was marked on charts and equipped with hazard lights. "The current runway width is not compromising safety," he said. CASA declined to answer why it ordered the airport to publish a 300 metre strip width or if that needed to be updated. Safety probe In February 2017, a Beechcraft King Air light aircraft turned sharply to the left shortly after takeoff and crashed into the southern end of the DFO, killing all five people on board. The aircraft hit the southern end of the building - well outside the disputed runway buffer zone. ----------- CASA letter to Essendon Airport It appears to CASA that gathering the information required for the Authority's assessment of whether every item in a Draft Master Plan will be compliant with civil aviation safety requirements would be time-consuming and expensive, and inconsistent with the purpose of the Master Plan in any case. Any such assessment itself would be extremely time-consuming and as Draft Master Plans can change and have very long lifetimes, much of the work may ultimately be unnecessary. ------------ The Australian Transport Safety Bureau found that pilot error was to blame, but while looking into the crash, decided to launch a separate investigation into how the DFO complex was approved "from an aviation safety perspective". That probe is nearing completion, with its final report currently out for review by the parties involved ahead of its public release. The AFAP's probing of Essendon Airport has prompted AusALPA - a body it is part of which represents more than 7000 professional Australian pilots on safety matters - to look carefully at what it considers inappropriate developments at a number of other airports. Captain Diamond said the Essendon Airport example showed the approval processes for buildings around airports needed tightening, at a time when many airports were building around their airstrips. “There needs to be a review and we need to have robust assessment processes that at the moment are being abridged or avoided in the planning stages," he said. "We need to tidy that up and have the regulations much more firm in protecting both the airspace around airports and the physical characteristics of airports." Airports including Brisbane, Canberra and Cairns have and continue to build new hotels, office blocks and other buildings around their airports. “These sorts of developments are pretty standard around airports around the world,” said Canberra Airport's managing director Steven Byron. “There is a very rigorous process,” including consultation with airlines, regulators and the public, he said. Brisbane Airport said the planning processes in place ensured that aviation operation safety and efficiency were not compromised by developments. The federal department of infrastructure, which also had to approve the DFO building, directed questions to CASA. SMH

In the airline and military realm, fly-by-wire control has become old hat but because of expense and certification complexity, the technology hasn’t trickled down to light aircraft general aviation. Some in the industry, however, believe that digital control architecture and the enhanced stability it can offermight make airplanes easier to fly and would thus kick the door open to higher aircraft demand. A company called Flight Level Engineering is just completing a project for the FAA that could lay the foundation for certification of such systems, for which there may be no significant manufacturing barriers. The project, called EZ-FLY, was briefed late last year at a conference on the General Aviation Manufacturers Association Simplified Vehicle Operations initiative. It was held at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. The research project used a specially modified Navion equipped with hydraulic and electric servos that was originally built as a variable-stability platform to train test pilots. Researcher Borja Martos says that it made a perfect vehicle for exploring both how such systems might be certified but, more important, how human pilots might interact with them. Martos and fellow researcher Noel Duerkson said the SVO concept hasn’t been precisely defined by either the industry or the FAA, but it’s clear that with new urban mobility concepts materializing every week, cutting-edge aircraft design is moving toward stabilized or highly augmented autoflight. Although Flight Level’s research used digital architecture to overlay the Navion’s mechanical control circuitry, a larger goal of the project was to learn how untrained human pilots would react to a simplified control system that would, theoretically, allow a pilot to fly with a fraction of the training now required. The overarching goal is to increase access to general aviation, with a side benefit of reducing loss- of-control accidents. Martos said the company’s research on how humans interact with such a machine was eye opening. “We found it was a much more integrated problem than we thought,” he said. The idea was to put a zero-time test subject in the cockpit, provide minimum familiarization and record the results. Various displays and control inputs were tried. “Figuring out what works for the display was completely backward from what we thought it would be,” Martos said. Curiously, the concept isn’t entirely new and dates from NASA’s Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiment (AGATE) program two decades ago, which Duerkson worked on. The EZ-FLY concept existed then and required a baggage compartment full of processing horsepower to function. Now, says Duerkson, the same thing can be done in a box the size of a typical GA autopilot, making such a system both realistic to certify and manufacture. Projects like EZ-FLY will lay the foundation for paths to certification. While the Navion provided a practical aircraft for testing, the overall concept is platform agnostic and could be applied to multi-rotor aircraft as well. Duerkson says the EZ-FLY project is one step on the road to certifiable autonomous flight. “We think we have to do this in steps. The FAA expects that and we think the general public expects it,” Duerkson says. The impact on aircraft cost could be significant, eventually. Theoretically, aircraft that are easier to fly would attract more buyers and volume manufacturing would drive down prices. AGATE’s research, says Duerkson, suggested that a 10-fold volume increase would reduce costs by half. Avweb

I have been advised there was an issue with the Classifieds section in that a Classified could not be renewed after 30 days. I have made a few changes in that section that will enable Adverts to be continually renewed every 30 days by the user who submitted the advert to click a renew button on the advert...hope this helps. On a side note I am getting back into the site now that the Xmas break is over so i hope to be able to report many more enhancements to you...thanks

Wearing a prosthetic, Historic Flight Foundation president John Sessions talks about the airplane crash that cost him his left foot. (Andy Bronson / The Herald) John Sessions, who founded a local aircraft museum, was grounded after crashing last summer. John Sessions had barely coaxed the vintage biplane airborne when things started to go wrong. The historic aircraft collector and pilot was taking four spectators on a scenic flight one Saturday afternoon in August, after the day’s main event at the Abbotsford International Airshow in British Columbia. When Sessions taxied out, there had been a crosswind. The weather had been acting up earlier in the day. The conditions seemed like nothing, however, that the restored de Havilland Dragon Rapide and its pilot shouldn’t have been able to handle. He had flown another group in the rare 1930s airliner that morning and performed in a World War II-era fighter earlier in the afternoon. This flight didn’t go so smoothly. Once aloft in the biplane, Sessions began to lose control. He tried to keep it over the runway, as he attempted to gain airspeed. “I went to the right, went to the left, it went to the right a second time and touched the right wing,” Sessions said. “When the right wing tip did touch, it whipped the nose down into the runway. It’s a one-pilot airplane. And the nose is made from wood and fabric, primarily, with a few metal strips between the panels of the windscreen. So I’m very lucky to be alive.” A minute or less into flight, the immaculately restored Art Deco aircraft’s front end and right wing were crumpled. Sessions, the force behind the Historic Flight Foundation in Mukilteo, was critically hurt with a severed left foot. As he hopped from the wreckage, one of his passengers was unconscious. Historic Flight Foundation Chairman John Sessions takes a call in his office with his prosthetic leg in a backpack behind him. He said he was giving his leg a rest after “overdoing the day before.” (Andy Bronson / The Herald) Sitting directly behind Sessions was Larry Greschuk, then 73. Another man sat to his right, two others behind them. An aviation enthusiast, Greschuk once owned an ultralight aircraft and was a former regular at the annual Abbotsford Airshow, widely considered among the best in the world. His daughter bought him tickets for 2018. “My daughter knows me quite well,” said the soft-spoken power company retiree who lives on a farm 95 miles east of Edmonton, Alberta. “She knows that I don’t particularly like planes that were used for fighting and killing people, in other words, warbirds.” She waited until the end of the show to give him something he’d cherish: a certificate to fly in Sessions’ biplane. “Finally, I realized I was going to get to ride in this thing,” he said. “I was so impressed with the condition of the airplane. It was impeccable, so beautiful.” The de Havilland Dragon Rapide had a cramped interior, with room for one pilot and up to eight passengers. The twin-engine biplane helped connect the British Empire in the 1930s. (Dan Catchpole / Herald file) The Dragon Rapide’s elegant lines evoke the end of one era of air travel, and the beginning of another. Its features, somewhere between sleek and rounded, look modern and stylishly antique at the same time. The twin-engine aircraft debuted in the final days of planes made from wood and fabric. The British-built plane with room for eight marked the dawn of regularly scheduled commercial flights, though hardly convenient by today’s standards. “It was used by the Empire to open up the far-flung countries,” Sessions said. It was the first plane to travel a route to Cape Town, South Africa, from London in the ’30s. That journey required 23 stops in 10 days. The first de Havilland Dragon Rapide flew in 1934. Its creator, Geoffrey de Havilland, was a legendary aircraft designer whose company produced military and civilian aircraft, including the world’s first commercial jet airliner. The Rapide’s wingspan is just shy of 50 feet. It was powered by four-cylinder engines on each side. Production lasted a decade, with more than 700 made for civilian and military uses. Sessions bought his in 2017. Built for the Royal Air Force in 1944, that plane later went into civilian service with British European Airways, before seeing duty surveying major public works projects. It got shipped across the Atlantic in 1971 for display in the Experimental Aircraft Association Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and later wound up in California, as part of the private collection of William “Bud” Field, who died in 2010. Sessions flew the newly acquired Dragon Rapide up the coast, though engine trouble forced him to leave it in Medford, Oregon, for extended repairs. Restoration finished in 2018, with a new silver and red paint scheme. It was, by Sessions’ estimate, one of only a dozen airworthy examples left in the world. John Sessions and prosthetist/orthotist Ed Strachan look over his leg for signs of healing and irritation of hair follicles at the UW Medicine Prosthetics and Orthotics Clinic in Seattle. (Andy Bronson / The Herald) ‘That sounds different … it’s wood breaking.’ During a brief pre-flight chat, Greschuk came away just as impressed with the pilot as with the airplane. He remembered Sessions politely correcting him about a type of vintage aircraft engine they’d heard earlier — what Greschuk took to be a Rolls-Royce Merlin was probably an Allison. The snippet of conversation was vintage Sessions: precise, measured and encyclopedic. “I wished I could have spent a long time talking with him,” Greschuk said. His ears relished the sounds once the old engines started up, rich and backfiring. As they taxied around, he took pictures from his seat on the left side of the aircraft. A World War II-vintage torpedo bomber lined up before them and took off. They went right after. When they first dipped to the right, Greschuk said it didn’t bother him much. Sessions corrected quickly. They got higher and the wing dipped to the left. “I thought, well, something’s not quite right here.” He looked right as they seemed to stall, an experience he knew all too well from the first time he flew his ultralight in the 1980s. “When I saw the grass rushing up towards us, I knew we were in for a bit of a bang,” he said. “I heard the bang and I remember thinking, that sounds different … it’s wood breaking.” “I must have had a bit of a nap because when I came to, the back seat was empty,” he said. “The passengers in the back, the two seats, they were gone.” The man next to him was knocked out. Greschuk felt something trickling down his face: blood. On impact, his plastic sunglasses had cut a gash into his forehead. “I thought, I ought to get out of here. This plane is wood. And there’s fuel. The best thing I can do is to get out of here.” He crawled to the door and clambered down from the plane, with the help of a man on the ground. He saw firefighters walking toward the wreck. Aside from his forehead and a bruised leg, he emerged in decent shape. At the hospital, they stitched him up, kept him overnight and gave him drugs to prevent a blood clot. Sessions was in for a more complicated medical adventure. The pilot stayed awake during the crash. The passenger in back of him, the one next to Greschuk, had been knocked out. “I was doing what I could for him,” Sessions said. “He was pretty sleepy, pretty unconscious. I looked down and I saw that my foot was in the boot, totally separated from my leg. It had been snapped off. So I reached down and created pressure on the point of separation in my leg … minimizing the loss of blood.” One of the back-seat passengers walked around to the front to hand Sessions a belt to use as a tourniquet. Emergency personnel started showing up, local crews as well as a flight surgeon for the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy demonstration squadron, which was performing at the airshow. Sessions said the surgeon replaced the belt with a real tourniquet and tightened it to stop circulation below the knee. “And so then I broke away what was left of the windscreen and I hopped out, still conscious,” he said. “They put me right on a gurney. I talked to the passengers. I was worried about them.” During the crash, Sessions’ right arm had made contact with the runway. His right ankle got twisted, but popped back into place without breaking. He suspects his left leg got the worst of it because it was extended, and closer to the front of the airplane. With the exception of the unconscious man, all of the passengers were up and walking. “Your training kicks in when these sorts of things happen,” Sessions said. “It was, How are the passengers? Is everybody out? Is there any gas leaking? Is the electrical turned off? Yes, yes, yes, everything’s fine. No gas is leaking … It seems like everybody’s going to survive.” Then, as the person most severely injured, it was time for him to get medical attention. An investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada is ongoing. Sessions, without making excuses, believes he simply didn’t have enough power to compensate for the wind conditions. “What I learned that day, in this kite I was flying, is that there was no more power,” he said. “I had used it all to get to the takeoff. That’s just indicative of 1930s airplanes.” At the crash scene in Abbotsford, medics kept talking to keep Sessions awake. They summoned a helicopter. On board, the adrenaline began to ebb. “It was the first moment I could kind of relax a little, if you will,” he said. As John Sessions tries out a new leg sleeve in his prosthetic leg, his wife, Lucia, records video of his gait at the UW Medicine Prosthetics and Orthotics Clinic in Seattle. (Andy Bronson / The Herald) A recovery, a setback and dark humor The helicopter crew flew Sessions to the Royal Columbian Hospital in the Vancouver area, just over 30 miles to the west. It was the same medical center where his mother, a Canadian by birth, had trained to become an army nurse during World War II. She married his father, a patient who had served in the 101st Airborne Division and had been injured in Europe. “So, when they said ‘Royal Columbian,’ I thought, well, maybe this is going to work out,” Sessions said. Doctors performed a minor surgery that evening. They let him eat before another surgery the next morning. Volunteers from the Historic Flight Foundation scoured the neighborhood at night and came back with fish tacos. When his wife, Lucia, arrived, he told her not to worry. He said he would be alright and made some quips. One was that he was sure glad they had run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, that summer. “With that, I finally got her to smile a little bit and relax,” he said. He went into surgery the next morning, where they re-amputated the leg to create a base for a prosthesis. They had a short discussion about reattaching the foot. With the risk of infections and other complications, they decided against it. “You’re better off to create a space for a modern prosthesis that will pretty much restore all of your functions of life,” he said. Their treatment of the nerves above his stump helped keep him comfortable. “As a consequence, I had very little pain,” Sessions said. “People who approach me about the accident are always very curious about the pain. ‘How did you stand the pain?’ I say, ‘Well, I didn’t feel any.’ Initially it was just adrenaline, y’know? When all that wore off, I give credit to the surgeons at Royal Columbian for knowing what they were doing and putting my leg back together in a way that would heal properly and not cause me serious discomfort.” His two grown children arrived from Los Angeles as he recovered Sunday. At 64, Sessions had lived his life without any extended hospital stays, aside from medical problems in infancy. He had stayed trim as a runner and outdoorsman. He was amazed, nevertheless, as his body, with help from his care team, started to knit itself back together. By day three, the surgeon was already talking about getting Sessions to Seattle to start rehab. Around the same time, a British flying buddy, who also founded an aviation museum, called with an unusual offer: Would he like a prosthetic leg on loan? Not just any artificial leg, but one that was used by Sir Douglas Bader, a British national hero who flew combat missions for the Royal Air Force in World War II despite having lost both of his legs in an earlier flying accident. Sessions’ friend was offering one of Bader’s legs on display in his museum. “I thought about it overnight and said, ‘That’s an English treasure that needs to stay in England, but please send me a picture so I can put it in my training room,’” Sessions said. “That’s what I did.” Around 3 a.m. Wednesday, he was released for an ambulance ride to Harborview Medical Center in downtown Seattle. Sessions had been impressed with the Canadian health-care providers, as he would be stateside. But on arrival, he first had to navigate some bureaucracy. He told staff at Harborview he wanted to go to the amputation clinic for a cast to cover his wound. “And they said, ‘Oh, there’s a problem here,’” he remembered. “’You know, the amputation clinic, to participate in that, requires you to be outpatient. You are inpatient. You’re a hospital patient.’ I said, ‘What, is this a billing-code issue?’” “’Well, yeah, they can’t bill unless you’re outpatient,’” they informed him. To be designated an outpatient, he could go to the end of a hall with a walker, then make it up and down 10 stairs with crutches. He muttered to himself. “And I said, ‘Well, OK. Where’s the walker and the crutches? Show me how with the crutches to do stairs.’ So I did all that. So they released me.” He went to the amputation clinic, got his cast and had his first appointment. They sent him home. “Ninety-two hours from critical to my own bed,” Sessions said. “The story’s not over, but at least on that day it was a good outcome.” The Historic Flight Foundation’s de Havilland Dragon Rapide after it crashed at the Abbotsford International Airshow in British Columbia, on Aug. 11, 2018. (John Morrow / Abbotsford News) Scarier than crashing He started weekly appointments, to check wounds and get fresh casts. He began to heal and looked forward to getting his prosthetic limb. A setback over Labor Day weekend was scarier than the accident. A stomach ulcer, likely the result of trauma and his post-accident regimen of baby aspirin, caused blood loss with extremely low blood pressure and made his heart race. In retrospect, he had felt fatigued that day. His workout of push-ups and sit-ups was harder than normal. “But I was not paying attention,” he said. By the time he reached Harborview on Sunday morning, “my vital signs were not very vital,” as he put it. “My recent detour from a lineal recovery introduced me to a new cast of heroes,” he wrote to friends later that week. “The trauma world is full of them. May you never meet them professionally, but take comfort knowing they are ready for you, 24/365.” He looked forward to aviation events that month. “It will be a new experience to attend without flying,” he told friends. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” He awaited his prosthetic foot. A shortage of skin around the wound necessitated a skin graft, slowing his progress. He got his temporary prosthetic foot in late November. It starts about mid-calf and includes a foot shaped remarkably similar to the right one. “It goes over a carbon-fiber flex foot, so I’m transferring energy from heel to toe as I walk,” he said. “You can feel the springing action.” Throughout his life, Sessions has established a pattern of over-achievement. His recovery has moved with the same kind of intensity that has propelled his career and his aviation hobby. He grew up in Spokane. At 17, he headed to study in Los Angeles, where he would earn an undergraduate degree from Loyola Marymount University and a business degree from UCLA. He later worked on Capitol Hill while attending Georgetown University Law School at night. He went to work for Perkins Coie briefly in Washington, D.C., before the law firm brought him to the Emerald City. He eventually started his own law practice, but his work in real estate development became his full-time pursuit. He remains heavily involved in projects around the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota and Montana. He used to fly his own jet there in two hours. “But now I’m going two hours early to commercial flights that with connections take about 10 hours to get there,” he said. “Being wheeled about in airports. It’s humbling.” His interest in flying started in 1983, when he accompanied a friend to Boeing Field in Seattle. Two decades later, he founded the Historic Flight Foundation. The nonprofit’s building on the west side of Paine Field in Everett opened to the public in 2010. It specializes in aircraft from 1927 to 1957, spanning Charles Lindbergh’s solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean to the first test flight of the Boeing 707. All airplanes in the collection can fly, and before his crash, Sessions could pilot them all. In this file photo from 2017, the Historic Flight Foundation’s de Havilland Dragon Rapide was still in flying condition despite being more than 70 years old. The airplane was scheduled to be extensively restored starting that summer. (Historic Flight Foundation) On the horizon By early December, Sessions was strolling around the Historic Flight gallery with his temporary prosthesis. Once he got going, a casual observer might have been hard-pressed to notice any limp. Sessions isn’t content stopping there. He’d like to resume jogging. When the time is right, he’s determined to fly again. To pilot an aircraft, he’ll need to sense pressure on the foot — to manage the brakes. In a warbird, that’s more for turning than stopping, but still no trivial matter. “So I’ll be very careful I can feel what I need to feel before I launch,” he said. His first step will probably be hopping into a vintage trainer aircraft. He and a colleague can take it for a spin, just to taxi around without leaving the ground. “There is an FAA protocol for amputees,” Sessions said. “So when I feel ready to be examined in a check ride, the FAA will send out a designated examiner, who will fly with me. Once that check ride is successfully completed, all my type ratings come back. So it’s not as if I have to do it again in each airplane. They will trust me to know when I’m right for a particular type.” The Rapide? It will fly again, too, if Sessions has his way. He hopes to get it fully restored. It’s in storage now in British Columbia. As he recovers, Sessions draws inspiration from the double-amputee flying ace Douglas Bader and others who have endured greater hardships than he has. “That and also the elite members of the airshow community who have themselves survived crashes,” he said. “Many I didn’t know had been in crashes.” Before agreeing to a newspaper interview, Sessions wanted to talk to all of his passengers from the crash. He’s met with three of the four face to face. The unconscious man? He’s doing well, Sessions reports. The only one he hasn’t met in person is Greschuk, due to his remote address. The retiree was surprised to get the first email from the pilot soon after the collision. They have been trading messages. “I was really shocked when he said that he had lost his left leg,” Greschuk said. “I wanted him to know that I don’t blame him or anything. I just feel sorry that this happened.” He told Sessions he’d fly with him again. “No problem whatsoever,” he said. “I’d love to do that.” Noah Haglund

December regulatory wrap-up Have you missed the following updates published on our website last month? Announcements Flight operations regulations made into law Six new flight operations regulations have been signed into law in a major milestone for civil aviation safety in Australia. Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR) Parts 91, 119, 121, 133, 135 and 138 consolidate the existing flight operations rules, deliver safety improvements and align with international best practice. The regulations do not commence until March 2021; this provides sufficient time for CASA and industry to prepare for commencement. Information sessions – proposed new GA maintenance regulations We conducted a series of information sessions during the week commencing 10 December 2018. Watch the Information session on proposed new general aviation maintenance regulations to hear what the proposed changes mean for you. Consultations Proposed new GA maintenance regulations Our public consultation on our proposal to develop new general aviation maintenance regulations has opened. Go to our Consultation Hub to have your say before the 31 January 2019 deadline. Modernising Australia's fatigue rules - proposed CAO 48.1 Instrument 2019 Public consultation on the proposed CAO 48.1 Instrument 2019 is now open. Go to our Consultation Hub to have your say before the 10 February 2019 deadline. Proposed safety standard – Community service flights We are proposing to introduce a new minimum safety standard for community service flights. Consultation closes on 31 January 2019. Summary of consultation on Manual of Standards for Approved Self-administering Aviation Organisations We've published the summary of consultation on the Part 149 Manual of Standards which outlines the comments provided by respondents to the consultation and provides CASA's response to the issues raised. This comes after Part 149 (Approved Self-administering Aviation Organisations) Manual of Standards 2018 was made on 18 December 2018. Summary of consultation on the Notice of Proposed Rule Making for Approved Self-Administering Aviation Organisations We've published the summary of consultation on NPRM 1502SS - Approved self-administering aviation organisations. Operations in the vicinity of non-controlled aerodromes We have published the draft CAAP 166-01 v4.2 - Operations in the vicinity of non-controlled aerodromes. Comments close 16 January 2019. Projects Project OS 18/08 We've approved 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 CS 14/22 We've closed Project CS 14/22 – Amendment of CAO 20.18 in relation to carriage of cockpit voice recorder. Exemptions New exemption for some ATPL pilots There's a new exemption for applicants of an Air Transport Pilot Licence with an Aeroplane category rating (ATPL(A)). The exemption also applies to flight examiners, permitting them to conduct the flight test for an ATPL(A) for those applicants. View the exemption (CASA EX160/18) on the Federal Register of Legislation website. Guidance material Summary of consultation on Advisory Circular for Plume rise assessments Read the Summary of Consultation on the advisory circular relating to the conduct of plume rise assessments. Passenger safety information We've published the CAAP 253-02 v2.0 - Passenger safety information: Guidelines on content and standard of safety information to be provided to passengers by aircraft operators. Administration of aircraft and related ground support network security programs We've cancelled the CAAP 232A-1(0) – Administration of aircraft and related ground support network security programs, and removed it from the CASA website. Information contained in this CAAP has been superseded by current industry standards including EUROCAE/ED-202A, EUROCAE/ED-203 and EUROCAE/ED-204. Approved Part 147 training organisations We've published the AC 147-02 v5.15 Approved Part 147 training organisations. Maintenance of aircraft – general requirements We've published the CAAP 100.5-01 v1.0 Maintenance of aircraft - general requirements. Non-destructive testing We've published the CAAP 33-02 v1.0 Non-destructive testing.

I am trying to set my new PC up at the moment so I hope to get the new Suppliers section up and running just before the new year

As you may have seen in another post we are moving to a new server which should help with any performance issues. Currently our server is located in Sydney and is a E3-1270 processor with 8GB of ram Our new server is: Intel Xeon E-2176G - 6 Cores 12 threads at 3.7GHz with turbo to 4.7GHz >14,000 passmark! 16GB DDR4 ECC Memory 2666mhz (fastest these chips will take!) 500GB NVMe samsung 970 drive! 30TB outbound on 1gbps port Location: LA The current status is that the first monthly payment has been made and account established. They are now beginning the build of the server. I have emailed a Server Admin Guru who is going to install the OS and set it all up with the latest software and tweak its performance to obtain the best out of it. He will also migrate the site over and tweak that. I am waiting for his reply. I will keep you informed on how it is going and any impacts to users

From CEO and Director of Aviation Safety, Shane Carmody As we rapidly approach the end of 2018, looking back over the year in aviation shows it’s been busy and productive. CASA has made improvements in aviation medicals, Part 149 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations was made in July, we continued to refine our new consultation mechanisms and we finalised transition to the new flying training regulations. Pleasingly, there was an increase in the aviation community’s level of satisfaction with CASA’s performance, which was reflected in the results of our biennial stakeholder survey. It is important to acknowledge these achievements could not have been reached without the assistance of the aviation community. I would like to thank you all for your dedication, contribution and hard work in maintaining aviation safety. By far our most significant achievement in 2018 was the recent making of the six new operational Parts of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations. This was a journey that commenced in 1999 at the direction of the government of the day and has seen numerous priority, direction and policy changes since that time. Achieving this milestone was no small task and it required a lot of hard work and commitment from many people in CASA and the aviation community. I thank everyone who contributed to these rule sets. It is testament to our new consultative processes that we were able to ensure feedback from subject matter experts and people across aviation was received, carefully considered and incorporated as required in a timely and professional manner. Next year won’t just be focused on working towards transition to the new flight operations regulations. We have a lot on our radar such as consulting and making the last three new regulatory Parts, transition to Part 149, remotely piloted aircraft registration, progressing change to general aviation maintenance rules, contributing to a number of key international commitments and wrapping up some long-standing matters like fatigue. The last three new regulatory Parts cover sport and recreation operations, sport and recreational parachuting and manned free balloons. I wish everyone in Australian aviation a very happy Christmas and a successful and safe New Year. Shane Carmody Latest news New operational regulations made The new flight operations Civil Aviation Safety Regulation Parts - covering the general operating and flight rules, air transport certification and governance, air transport operations for aeroplanes and rotorcraft and aerial work - were formally made in December 2018. The aerial work Part addresses the specialised operational requirements for aeroplanes and rotorcraft in this sector. These new Parts take effect from 25 March 2021. Comprehensive support and guidance material will be provided by CASA well before this date to ensure a smooth transition. The rules consolidate current safety requirements, reflect best international practices and address important safety issues. One of the main aims of the reforms is to reduce the safety differences between charter and regular public transport operations, with requirements scaled to fit the size and complexity of operations. This means smaller air operators will not be required to adopt the same safety practices in the same way as the major airlines. The next step for CASA is to work with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel on the effective transitional and consequential arrangements for the new regulations and to deliver comprehensive support resources for the aviation community well before the regulations commence. There will be a suite of guidance material and sample manuals, as well as a plain English guide to the general operating and flight rules in Part 91. CASA has given a commitment to make the implementation of these new rules as straight forward as possible. Find more details on Civil Aviation Safety Regulations Parts 91, 119, 121, 133,135 and 138. Flight Safety Australia annual out 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. This 144-page publication is packed with credible, informative and comprehensive aviation safety news and is great reading for everyone involved in Australian aviation. It includes feature articles, contributor and general articles, as well as a close-call section written by pilots who share their experiences in the name of safety. Featured topics include effective safety techniques, virtual reality, the Piper Alpha oil platform disaster and accident investigations using drones. Other topics covered include the hazards of wake turbulence, human performance and limitations, and the limitations of visual scanning. Order your copy now. GA maintenance regs open for comment Details of the proposed new general aviation maintenance regulations have been released for comment. CASA is proposing to adopt the United States Federal Aviation Regulations Part 43 with as few changes as possible. Amendments will only be made to ensure compatibility with Australian legal terms, to clarify the US rules, for formatting reasons or to incorporate any policy differences that have been consulted with the general aviation community. The proposals will not introduce a new aircraft maintenance engineer licence. There are five key aspects to the new rules - maintenance organisation approvals, a new individual authorisation, phasing out Civil Aviation Regulation 30 approvals, annual or progressive aircraft inspections and options for current maintenance organisations. No maintenance organisation approval will be required for carrying out maintenance of general aviation aircraft, engines or components, other than propellers and instruments. This will apply to all aircraft not engaged in air transport operations. A licensed aircraft maintenance engineer (LAME) will be able to certify, carry out or supervise maintenance of aircraft, engines, components and systems within the scope of their licence. LAMEs will not be required to obtain type ratings to certify maintenance on type rated aircraft under the proposed regulations. Annual or progressive inspections will form an essential component in the management of airworthiness of an aircraft. The annual/progressive inspection will be carried out or supervised by an individual authorisation holder who will determine that the aircraft remains in conformity with its approved type design. Aircraft operating in flying training or aerial work will also be required to undergo 100-hour inspections. Large aeroplanes (above 5700kg) or multi-engine turbine powered aeroplanes will be required to use a manufacturers inspection program or a program approved by CASA. Find out more about the proposed general aviation maintenance regulations and have your say before 13 January 2019. Give feedback on frequency advice Feedback is being sought on draft changes to guidance material for pilots on operations in the vicinity of non-controlled aerodromes. This follows CASA’s review of the appropriate radio frequency to use at or near non-controlled aerodromes. A Civil Aviation Advisory Publication is being updated to clarify guidance on radio use, which supports the continued use of common traffic advisory frequency procedures. Pilots in the vicinity of an aerodrome published on aeronautical charts should listen and broadcast as necessary on the common traffic advisory frequency. When aerodromes are located within a broadcast area pilots should listen and broadcast as necessary on the broadcast area frequency. In all other cases, it is recommended pilots listen and broadcast as necessary on the area VHF, noting a pilot has the discretion to use the most appropriate frequency to ensure safe operations. This may be MULTICOM 126.7 MHz. To ensure mutual traffic awareness, it is recommended that pilots using an alternative frequency also monitor area VHF. CASA will be providing additional information on the radio frequency issue before changes are made to the aeronautical information publication at the end of February 2019. Comment before 16 January 2019 on the non-controlled aerodrome advisory. Melbourne VFR route change Pilots who operate in the Melbourne region should be aware of recent changes to a visual flight rules route. The change affects the Melbourne Port Philip Bay route. Class C airspace has been lowered from 2500 feet to 2000 feet under the approach and departure path for Runway 34 at Melbourne Tullamarine airport to accommodate a category 1 ground-based augmentation system landing system approach. This has required a change for visual flight rules pilots flying the coastal route between the Laverton BOM Tower and Carrum. Between Point Ormond and the Laverton BOM tower pilots should fly eastbound at 1500 feet and westbound at 2000 feet. Between Point Ormond and Carrum pilots should fly southbound at 1500 feet and northbound at 2500 feet. The changes took place on 28 November 2018. Recently issued charts will not be updated until May 2019, which means pilots must check NOTAMs and the AIP supplement before every flight. The airspace arrangements that came into effect on 28 November 2018 for the Melbourne Port Philip Bay route are a modification of earlier changes made to accommodate the lower Class C airspace. The new arrangements were agreed after consultation with the local aviation community, including the regional airspace and procedures advisory committee. Get more information on the Melbourne VFR change. Mustering helicopter engine issues Intensive multi-agency work is underway to analyse and address engine performance issues affecting some helicopters operating in northern Australia. Premature exhaust valve and valve guide wear has been found in a number of R22 and R44 helicopters used predominately in mustering in northern Australia. In some cases, problems have emerged in less than 100 hours after inspection. CASA has been working with other government agencies and a diverse industry working group to identify the likely cause of the issue. The group is looking at a range of contributing factors including the way the helicopters are operated, fuel, carburetor set up and failure modes. This is a complex issue that requires usable data to assess possible causes and to date no definitive cause has been identified. With the assistance of the engine manufacturer Lycoming and helicopter operators seven engine monitoring devices are being fitted to mustering helicopters operated in northern Australia. The data collected by the devices will quickly provide detailed information on engine performance trends to allow a more comprehensive analysis of the issue. Based on the information currently available R22 and R44 helicopters remain safe to operate, providing they are flown within their operating limitations. This includes lowering peak combustion temperatures. CASA has also issued an airworthiness bulletin on R22 and R44 engine intake valve and valve seat distress. This is caused by an intake valve deposit build-up which is likely occurring during extended ground operations in elevated ambient temperatures. A failure to observe adverse indications or unusual engine behaviour may result in an induction backfire, engine power loss and airframe yaw. In a severe event this could lead to several uncontrolled power and yaw reactions. CASA has made a number of recommendations to address this issue. Read the R22/R44 engine intake valve bulletin. Improving community service flight safety A package of proposed new requirements to strengthen the safety of community service flights has been released for comment. CASA is proposing the new requirements to support pilots who conduct community service flights and to enhance public confidence in the services. The proposed requirements relate to pilot flight time experience, licensing and medicals, night operations and maintenance. In many cases pilots currently conducting community service flights will already meet the proposed requirements. However, CASA believes it is appropriate to formally set out these requirements as pilots carry out community service flights without the organisational structure and support provided by an air operator’s certificate. In particular, the requirements will mitigate potential operational pressures on community service flight pilots. These pressures are normally not found in ordinary private flights and can increase the likelihood of an incident. CASA has been working collaboratively with community service flight organisations to support the safety of operations. Have your say now on proposed community service flight requirements. Christmas shutdown The festive season is here and that means CASA will be closed for regular business between Christmas and New Year. CASA offices will shut from 25 December 2018 to 1 January 2019 inclusive. All services will resume on Wednesday 2 January 2019. Anyone needing CASA services or support over the holiday period should contact CASA now. Applications for services lodged at the last minute are unlikely to be processed before the holiday shutdown. CASA will have staff on call for urgent aviation safety matters over the Christmas-New Year period. Anyone needing CASA for an urgent aviation safety matter during the holiday shutdown should call 131 757 and follow the prompts. In brief Consultation is open on revised proposed new fatigue management rules. An instrument is proposed to be made in 2019 that will apply to air operator's certificate holders, Part 141 certificate holders and some flight crew licence holders. Comment on the proposed fatigue changes by 10 February 2019. 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. Changes have been made to the way CASA processes notifications about fireworks displays. These will now be managed centrally, rather than through CASA’s regional offices. To notify CASA of a fireworks display, please email [email protected]. Find out more about the process of notifying CASA and applying for approval to conduct fireworks displays. Candidates applying for a recreational pilot licence are being reminded they must pass either the recreational pilot licence (aeroplane) or recreational pilot licence (helicopter) exam. After 30 June 2019, CASA records must show a pass in these exams for a recreational pilot licence application to be processed. Passes for the old basic aeronautical knowledge exams do not satisfy the requirements for the issue of a recreational pilot licence. An avsafety seminar for pilots is being held in Esperance on Friday 18 January 2019 at 18:30 at the Esperance Aero Club. The seminar will provide the latest information on communications, situational awareness and threat and error management. Book a place at the Esperance seminar now.

Well I have just ordered the new server. Currently our server is in Sydney but to step up would cost a lot more for a slightly better one however I can get an extremely powerful one for the same extra money by having it located in LA. Having an off shore server will increase latency but the extra power should over come that. So for an extra $50 odd dollars a month more I am getting: Intel Xeon E-2176G - 6 Cores 12 threads at 3.7GHz with turbo to 4.7GHz >14,000 passmark! 16GB DDR4 ECC Memory 2666mhz (fastest these chips will take!) 500GB NVMe samsung 970 drive! 30TB outbound on 1gbps port Location: LA For the techos we are currently using a E3-1270 processor and 8GB of ram Once the server is built and put online I will then pay a server guru to tune it to get the best out of it. The pain will then be the transfer of the sites to it...this will cause a small impact to the site's availability whilst it is being transferred but I will keep you informed on this and when it is going to happen. Fingers crossed that this will assist in resolving any performance issues

Government gives green light to modernise UK airspace The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) today launched its new Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS) that initiates the major overhaul of a key piece of national infrastructure. The new strategy is in response to the government tasking the CAA with preparing and maintaining a co-ordinated strategy and plan for the use of UK airspace up to 2040, including modernisation. The structure of the UK's airspace has remained the same for decades, despite an increase in demand from its users. According to research conducted by the air traffic control provider, NATS, flights in UK airspace are forecast to grow from 2.25 million per year in 2015 to 3.25 million in 2030 and, if nothing changes, more and more flights will be delayed at UK airports each year. Indeed, NATS is predicting an average of 26.5 minutes of delay per delayed flight, with more than one in three flights from all UK airports expected to depart over half an hour late due to a shortfall in airspace capacity. Similarly, other airspace users such as general aviation and drone operators want more access to this infrastructure, while local communities want the adverse impacts better mitigated. Modernisation, insists the CAA, is critical to ensure that this invisible piece of the UK's national infrastructure is fit for purpose for the future. The AMS sets out a new shared objective between the CAA and the government for modernising airspace which is to deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys. "This will mean more choice and value for consumers, allowing airlines to add new flights, reducing flight delays and enhancing global connections that can help boost the UK economy, while continuing to improve safety standards and being more environmentally friendly," says the CAA. "Coupled with the adoption of new technology by existing airspace users, it will also help pave the way for increased safe access for newer airspace users like drones and spacecraft. "For some, the increase in traffic may lead to an increase in noise, or the concentration of traffic can focus noise over a smaller area. While it is impossible to reduce the impact of aviation noise for all communities, it is important that noise is managed as well as possible. "Airports should also consider as part of the airspace process whether they can change their airspace design to reduce noise or, more specifically, the health effects of noise." The strategy also presents a new governance structure which sets out the industry's responsibility for its delivery and how relevant stakeholders will be a part of that process. Tim Johnson, policy director at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “Airspace is a crucial part of the UK's infrastructure and it must be maintained and improved. "Unlocking the benefits of modernisation will make journeys faster and more environmentally friendly. Better airspace design can help with the management of noise impacts and improve access for existing and new types of airspace users. “Airspace modernisation in the UK is complex, but essential. Our new strategy will ensure there is accountability and engagement for the delivery of this necessary reform.” The CAA has published its finalised AMS following public engagement earlier in 2018. This document replaces the Future Airspace Strategy and sets out the ways, means and ends of modernising airspace through 15 initiatives that will modernise the design, technology and operations of airspace, initially focusing on the period until the end of 2024. These include the removal of all fixed routes in upper airspace so aircraft can fly fully optimised routes, a fundamental redesign of the terminal route network using precise and flexible satellite navigation, and the focus on electronic surveillance solutions to improve safety and enable better integration of all airspace users. • NATS CEO, Martin Rolfe, said: “Today’s announcements from the government and the CAA are very welcome. "Our airspace dates back to the 1950s and simply doesn’t allow us to make the best use of today’s technology or emerging technologies in both aircraft design and air traffic management which are vastly improving the industry’s capability. “Our report for the government has shown that airspace modernisation is feasible and has benefits for local communities, passengers and the environment while also accommodating future growth. "NATS has been tasked with co-ordinating and delivering this huge programme which involves up to 15 airports in south east England, and we will be working closely together to ensure that we deliver the very best options for change that modern technologies allow. "We have been clear that modernisation is about more than just increased capacity. It can deliver improved management of noise and lower levels of carbon emissions which we know are just as important as being able to handle additional flights.” Airport World

A light aircraft that crashed in Raglan killing the two men on board had taken off from Blenheim in the South Island. It's believed the pair were heading to Auckland when the amateur built yellow Vans-RV4 plunged into the mudflats of the Kaitoke Estuary on Monday afternoon. Local residents who witnessed the crash called the local medical centre in Raglan, alerting doctors who rushed to the site, wading into the mud to help. MARK TAYLOR/STUFF The light plane was removed from the mudflats at Kaitoke Estuary in Raglan on Tuesday afternoon. But there was nothing that could be done to save the two men on board who died at the scene, Western Waikato Police response manager Senior Sergeant Dave Hall said on Tuesday afternoon. The bodies of the pair were removed from the wreck on Monday and had undergone a post-mortem in Auckland. MARK TAYLOR/STUFF The plane had taken off from the Tasman area of the South Island, police said. Hall said police were still formally identifying the men, who weren't related, and informing next of kin of the pair. Two Civil Aviation Authority members were at the site on Tuesday afternoon to examine the remains of the aircraft. CAA used a helicopter to remove the wreckage from the harbour, which happened late on Tuesday afternoon. Hall said the plane departed from the Tasman area of the South Island, heading north and had flown some distance before crashing around 3.20pm on Monday. MARK TAYLOR/STUFF The two men in the Vans-RV4 died when it crashed into the mudflats of Kaitoke Estuary in Raglan. He was unable to say what the purpose of the flight was. Exactly what happened was under investigation by CAA but witnesses described how the plane was flying erratically before it nose dived straight down to land on it's belly on the mudflats off East St. Tuesday's investigations had focused on speaking to witnesses and examining the wreckage to gather evidence before it was removed from the scene, Hall said. MARK TAYLOR/STUFF Emergency services at the scene of a fatal plane crash that killed two in Raglan on Monday. The wreckage would then be taken away for further analysis. The site was set to be blessed. Raglan Fire Chief Kevin Holmes responded to the crash on Monday. Residents in the area who'd seen the plane crash called the local medical centre, West Coast Health Clinic, alerting doctors to the crash, he said. "A couple of the doctors came out with their nurses - thinking if it's an aircraft crash it's going to be bad. MARK TAYLOR/STUFF Two people died after this plane crashed into Raglan Harbour on Monday afternoon. "They dropped everything, took their shoes off and rolled up their trousers to get across the mudflats. "We have some really wonderful medical staff who came at the time of need but there was nothing that could be done for the occupants, which was unfortunate." Firefighters secured the scene to stop the plane being picked up by the tide and carried away. "When the tide was fully in it would only have been in a foot of water at the most." In Holmes' 24 years of living in Raglan he's attended a raft of plane crashes - four at the airstrip in town. He recalls the Piper Cherokee that crashed into the water to the shock of beachgoers shortly after takeoff on Boxing Day in 2014. Pilot Alan Butler, 23, and passengers, sister Leanne Butler, 26, and her husband, Kevin Paulsen, 46, survived, although Leanne suffered serious injuries. And the helicopter that crashed on the Mt Karioi in 2000 killing a police technician, the pilot and two passengers as the foursome went to test a number of radio repeater stations. "We get a lot of traffic out this way, it's a popular airstrip. People come on day trips or fly down for a cup of tea at the local cafe. "Over summer it's not uncommon to have up to 20-odd planes parked up at the airstrip, they fly in and fly out. It's become popular and really busy." Investigation ahead CAA investigators will take photographs and record details of the accident scene. During that time they will also liaise with police and emergency personnel on site. Once the scene examination is complete, the investigators will decide which parts of the aircraft need to be retained for further analysis. "They'll then talk to witnesses and persons directly involved with the aircraft. It may also be necessary to gather information from family members and friends of those involved. This may include requests for personal documentation, such as the pilot's logbook," a CAA spokeswoman said. Investigators may also request documentation relating to the aircraft and its maintenance activity. Assistance will also be sought from the MetService, also the aerodromes the aircraft took off from and was heading to, and pathology staff. At the conclusion of the safety investigation phase, the investigator in charge will produce a report for the Civil Aviation Authority. The description on Van's Aircraft website says that the American RV-4 holds two people and a moderate amount of baggage. The aircraft is flown from the front seat only, but the kit includes a stick for the rear-seater so that person can share the fun. It describes the seating as compact, but still comfortable. It states the span is 23 feet, and its length is 20 ft 4 inches. Designer Dick Van Grundsven flew the first in August 1979. On Monday a witness reported seeing the plane doing a 'death barrel roll' before it nosed dive into the ground. The plane went down in one of the inlets near Main Road, in a spot police described as being near the shoreline at end of East Street. Raglan resident Monica Schischka was out on her deck with her flatmates when the plane went down. Schischka said the plane was flying erratically and went into a "death barrel roll" that was a "full 90 degrees". "We saw it coming down, heading straight down like it had fully nose dived and it didn't pull up or anything and then we heard the thud." She said it was a muted sound and there was no fire or smoke around the wreckage. "It was like a muffled thud. It went into the ground and we went around and had a look and it was on the mud. "At first I thought they were doing a trick. But they were getting so close to the ground and then you just heard it. It wasn't a trick. We were pretty sick[ened] because we kind of knew that someone's just died for sure." CAA would like to hear from any witnesses to the event or people who may have relevant information. Please email [email protected] Stuff

The best holiday lights aren’t on your crazy neighbor’s house. They’re actually at the airport. In celebration of the holiday season, ground staff at London’s Luton Airport created a fabulous light display inside the easyJet hangar, according to the Daily Mail. In just 24 hours, the staff and a team of special effects artists built a gorgeous show from 850,000 choreographed light sequences from 1.5 miles of lights wrapped around an easyJet Airbus A320, which was also surrounded by more holiday decorations inside the hangar. In addition, the lights were set to a very festive remix of Tchaikovsky's “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from The Nutcracker. The special effects team was given four weeks to prepare the sequences for the first-ever aircraft light show. The show was a part of the airport’s 80th anniversary celebration, the Daily Mail reported. According to the Independent, the event was the “world’s biggest ever light show involving an aircraft.” However, there’s no Guiness World Record for this very specific title. Perhaps it’s time to start one? In addition to families of the airport staff, the light show was attended by children from Chantry Primary Academy and Whitefield Primary School. “As we reach the end of our redevelopment — the largest in the airport's 80-year history — we wanted to extend a huge thank you to staff and customers and give them a special Christmas gift,” airport operations director Neil Thompson told the Daily Mail. “Our team were given just 24 hours to dress an entire aircraft hangar and easyJet A320 Airbus plane before guests were treated to a dramatic Christmas lights switch on.” But beyond just being a fun holiday event, the project was also created to celebrate the hard work of London Luton Airport workers as well, according to the Independent. The growing airport is expected to increase its annual passenger count to 18 million by 2020. Before the busy holiday travel weekend kicks off, it’s wonderful to take a moment and appreciate the beauty of the season. And give an extra thanks to the airport staff helping you get where you’re going.

URGENT...I need to know the approx days and times that you may have had issues like site speed, What's New resetting itself, etc. The server people have asked for these so they can look into them. Thanks for your help

Yay, my Christmas present has arrived...My PC has been buckling under the pressure of IPS when trying to do any development etc. wish it was more like Xenforo, but my old PC which is a 6th Generation i5, 16gb ram, old style and twin SATA hard disks in RAID 0 just can't handle working with a 5gb site and over 1gb in database so I had to purchase a new PC. I am often setting something up late at night and having to let my PC run all night to do something but no more. So my new PC has arrived BUT IN MELBOURNE and I am in Sydney till end of the week My new PC is Dell power machine which has an 8th Generation i7, 16gb of DDR4 ram, twin SSD 256gb disks in RAID 0, a secondary 2 terrabyte SATA hard disk for storage, fast ethernet card and a G-Force GTX 1070 with 8gb memory video card...watch me wind that up with IPS

Thanks and to ALL Recreational Flying (.com) users and visitors, Corrine, Caitlin, Lachlan and I wish every one of you a very merry Christmas and a great new year but PLEASE remember:

It may be interesting to have a current snapshot of the where we are at with the site. As you know 2018 has been a painful year not for just myself but for all users with the site software turmoil...well it seems there have been some developments on that front. We were using Xenforo v1 and as I advised we had to make a move away from it...well this week Xenforo announced that ALL support and any kind of development will cease for that in May i.e. its End of life...so you can now see why I had to make a move away from it, as painful as it was. We moved to Xenforo v2 for a short time, in retrospect perhaps a little too early, but I needed a lot of time to get it up to what my vision of the site is. I quickly found that it was loaded with issues and that many developers of 3rd party addons which this site heavily depended on, dropped any development. This left me with just a basic forum site with a Gallery and Resource sections. The only other alternative was a product called IPS which had all the extras that I wanted to provide you all built in however it is a very complicated, not that user friendly (compared to Xenforo) solution that is also extremely resource hungry. In a time of panic and limited time on my hands as I began a new job I went for IPS but quickly found the reasons I didn't like it were also expressed by users. I was living out of a hotel room with a laptop and became very frustrated with not being able to fix your issues so I went back to Xenforo v2...at least we had a forum solution but it was extremely buggy but buggy that I could live with as users were not adversely impacted to the extreme but buggy still the same. I then thought that if I could get IPS to look and feel a lot like Xenforo and remove much of the complication albeit extra functionality, it may be a solution that will help me realise my vision. I found Ahmed, an IPS 3rd party developer based in Egypt that could possibly help me to get IPS to a solution that will meet not only my vision but also help to make it easier for you, the user. I then moved back to IPS and Ahmed has been helping me to achieve what we have today. Whilst all this has been going on Xenforo has released hundreds and hundreds of bug fixes to their version 2 and are about to release their version 2.1 which over the last couple of weeks I have had the pleasure in playing with the BETA versions and I can say that it is one hell of a nice, easy to use, powerful forum solution and whilst it may be the absolute best forum solution out there today it is still just a forum, gallery and resources solution. Also 3rd party developers of addons are starting to come back to xenforo with solutions for Blogs, Articles, Clubs (very basic) and a solution that could be used as an Aircraft section. Xenforo v2.1 is extremely fast, uses a hell of a lot less resources than IPS and is extremely smooth and user intuitive. IPS has also advised that they will soon be releasing a new faster version of their solution. I have not had a chance to play with it as yet so I can't say anthing about it. We are currently experiencing issues with the resource hungry IPS, by many reports from other site owners I knew we would begin to experience this. I am looking into increasing our server specs, in fact a whole new server, with the latest multi-core processor, 32gb ram, fast Samsung SSD on a 1gb connection. This will see the hosting costs increase by around 50% and that is even with having to use a US based server, Australian location for this would be cost prohibitive, but it should make IPS perform much better. There is still a lot more work to do with IPS and I am hoping that will take a maximum of 6 to 8 months before it is stabilised and ready for the final part of my vision. Hope this keeps you all informed of what 2018 has been like for the site

This is why the infamous glider regiments quietly fizzled out of history (442nd Fighter Wing Archive) The United States Military has always prided itself on its legacy. That's why the historical accomplishments of a unit are almost always passed down from the old-timers to the young bloods. And if a great troop does a heroic deed, you can bet the installation where they were once stationed will have a street named after them. The history books of the United States Military are extensive and cherished — but you won't often see mention of the glider regiments. Outside of randomly finding their insignia on "Badges of the United States Army" posters that line the training room, you won't ever hear anyone sing the tales of the gliders. That's mostly because the history of the gliders is a bit... awkward, let's say. Since their inception, gliders have been at odds with the paratroopers. Instead of having an infantryman jump from an aircraft and float down individually, the gliders would be filled to the brim with infantrymen that could all exit the glider at the same time and location. Gliders could also be filled with heavy equipment or vehicles and moved into the battlefield, remaining fairly silent as it glided to the ground. And that about does it for the list of benefits to using gliders. Still though. There was a need that the gliders filled and they got the job done... some times... The thing is, all of the functions of the glider were better (and more safely) served by the helicopter. But even before helicopters were ready to take on a primary role, the Army had long abandoned gliders. There were simply too many problems in the operating of gliders. First, gliders had to be towed by a much larger aircraft. When the time came, the glider would release the line and, as the name implies, glide to its intended destination. It didn't have its own engine or any completely reliable means of piloting it. Accidents were frequent. After all, there's a reason they were unaffectionately called "flying coffins." The glider needed to remain light (despite the heavy load in the back), so it had barely any kind of protection. The glider was literally made of honeycombed plywood and canvas, meaning air pockets or 40-mph winds could start shredding the exterior. If the glider did manage to hold together throughout its journey, it was most left to its own devices after the departure of the towing plane. There were no brakes and steering was difficult. The only safe bet was to find a clearing, which were difficult to spot, seeing as the gliders cut the line while still miles away from their destination. It also didn't help that the Axis knew about the gliders' biggest weakness: randomly placed ten-foot poles in giant clearings. Earlier anti-glider poles had explosives, but the Axis found it a bit of overkill, as the inertia alone did the trick. (National Archives) Gliders, in the eyes of the public, were doomed from the very beginning. In August, 1943, the gliders were given their first public demonstration in front for 10,000 spectators in St. Louis. A single bolt came undone and the glider fell like a sack of bricks right in front of the grand stand. Everyone onboard, including the mayor of St. Louis, was instantly killed. The gliders did land properly more often than not and they played an instrumental role in major Allied invasions, but the fact that a staggering eleven percent of all troops who rode in them would die (and thirty percent were wounded upon landing) was something that the military just wanted to forget about. Farewell, gliders. You won't be missed. (442nd Fighter Wing Archive photo) We are the mighty

Plate-lattices will be the design of choice for future lightweight porous materials. Credit: ETH Zurich / Marc Day 3D printing and other additive production techniques make it possible to manufacture materials with internal structures of previously unimaginable complexity. This is interesting for lightweight construction, too, as it enables the development of materials that have the highest possible share of interior voids (to make the materials as light as possible) but are simultaneously as robust as possible. Achieving this requires that the internal structures be intelligently organised for maximum efficiency. A research team from ETH Zurich and MIT led by Dirk Mohr, Professor of Computational Modeling of Materials in Manufacturing, has developed and fabricated material architectures that are equally strong in all three dimensions, and that are simultaneously extremely stiff. It is possible to determine mathematically just how stiff materials with internal voids can theoretically become; Mohr's structures have been shown to come extremely close to this theoretical maximum stiffness. Put another way, it's practically impossible to develop other material structures that are stiffer for the given weight. Plates replacing trusses A characteristic feature of the design is that the stiffness in the material's interior is achieved through plate-lattices rather than trusses. "The truss principle is very old; it has long been used for half-timbered houses, steel bridges and steel towers, such as the Eiffel Tower. We can see through truss lattices, so they are often perceived as ideal lightweight structures," says Professor Mohr. "However, using computer calculations, theory and experimental measurements, we have now established a new family of plate-lattice structures that are up to three times stiffer than truss-lattices of the same weight and volume." And it is not just the stiffness (resistance to elastic deformation) of these structures that approaches theoretical maximum values: their strength (resistance to irreversible deformation) does, too. The ETH researchers initially developed these lattices on the computer, calculating their properties in the process. Then they produced them at the micrometre scale from plastic through 3D printing. Mohr emphasises, however, that the advantages of this design are universally applicable -- for all constituent materials and also on all length scales, from the very small (nanometre-sized) to the very large. Ahead of their time Mohr and his research team are ahead of their time with these new lattices: at present, manufacturing with 3D printing is still relatively expensive. "If these kinds of lattices were to be additively manufactured from stainless steel today, they would cost as much per gram as silver," says Mohr. "But the breakthrough will come when additive manufacturing technologies are ready for mass production. Lightweight construction, the current cost of which limits its practical use to aircraft manufacturing and space applications, could then also be used for a wide array of applications in which weight plays a role." In addition to making structures lighter, the numerous voids also reduce the amount of raw materials needed, and thus also the material costs. There's no limit to the potential applications, Mohr says. Medical implants, laptop casings and ultralight vehicle structures are just three of many possible examples. "When the time is right, as soon as lightweight materials are being manufactured on a large scale," Mohr says, "these periodic plate lattices will be the design of choice." Science Daily

To build a fleet of giant airliners requires a building just as big. Boeing’s Everett Factory, built to construct the famous 747, is the biggest enclosed structure in the world. When you’re building some of the world’s biggest airliners, you need an equally outsized building. When Boeing decided to build the 747 – a plane so big it would become known around the world as the jumbo jet – they had to build a factory large enough to build several of them at the same time. If you’ve ever seen a 747 from close quarters you’ll know just how giant Boeing’s jumbo is. So it’s no surprise the factory which ended up building has to be very big indeed. How big? Try the biggest enclosed building in the world. Boeing started work on the Everett factory in 1967, just as the Boeing 747 project was starting to gather pace. Bill Allen, Boeing’s charismatic chief, had realised the company would need a huge amount of space if they were going to build an airliner big enough to carry 400 passengers. They chose an area of woodland some 22 miles (35km) north of Seattle, near an airport that had served as a fighter base during World War Two. An article in the Daily Herald, Everett’s local paper, recalls just how out of the way the airport was. According to Joe Sutter, the engineer who masterminded the 747 project, the site had only minor road access to the nearest highway and no railway connection. In the forest roamed wild bears. The factory now produces the newer generations of Boeing airliners (Credit: Getty Images) At the same time Boeing was building the prototype of the world’s biggest airliner, it was also having to construct the factory to make them in. Today, the Everett factory easily dwarfs any other building in the world by volume, with the Guinness Book of Records reporting that it occupies 72 million cubic feet (13.3 million cubic metres). “We’ve overlaid the building over some of the most famous landmarks around the world,” says David Reese, who helps runs the factory tours at Everett. “We have various famous places like Versailles, the Vatican and Disneyland, and you see them when you start the factory tour. “I remember I did an interview with the BBC a few years ago, and I thought ‘I wonder what the volume of Wembley Stadium is?’ Well, it turns out you can fit 13 of them in the volume of our factory.” The Everett plant still produces a dwindling number of 747 freighters, but today it mostly concentrates on the smaller 767, 777 and 787 models. To build that fleet of planes requires lots of room. Everett’s main building covers 97.8 acres (39 hectares), more than 30 times as big as London’s Trafalgar Square. Boeing had to build the new factory at the same time it was designing the 747 (Credit: Boeing) Each shift has as many as 10,000 workers, and there are three shifts each day. Over the course of 24 hours, the factory has a population only a little less than the Australian city of Alice Springs. Reese has worked for Boeing for 38 years – 11 of them running the factory tours – but says he can still remember his first impression of the factory. “It was very awe-inspiring the first time – and I would have to say every day since, too. It changes constantly. Each day there’s something new.” The Everett factory is so big that there’s a fleet of some 1,300 bicycles on hand to help cut travel time. It has its own fire station and medical services on station, and an array of cafes and restaurants to feed the thousands of workers. Overhead are a multitude of cranes used to move some of the heavier aircraft parts as the planes start to take shape. The operators, Reese says, are some of the most highly skilled and best-paid workers at the factory. There are a few rules for working in, or even just visiting, the factory. “We do require proper footwear, so no open-toed shoes and no high heels for the ladies – anything that could possibly cause a fall or damage your feet – and you have to wear safety glasses at all times in the factory. Constantly. That can be an issue with some of our visitors, they say things like ‘Oh, I wear reading glasses, that will be enough.’ It’s not.” The factory boasts some surprising features. While there is ventilation, there is no air conditioning. In summer, if it gets too hot, Reese says, they just open the massive doors to let in the breeze. In winter, the effect of the more than one million lights, the huge amount of electric equipment and some 10,000 human bodies also helps moderate the temperatures. “I only have to wear a sweater or a light jacket and that’s sufficient.” There is a longstanding urban myth that the building is so large and high that clouds form at the top of it. Not quite so, says Reese. “The building was still being constructed as the first plane was being built, and one wall was not yet enclosed. We think that fog or mist from the outside and accumulated in the building, and it looked like a kind of hazy atmosphere. The finished aircraft are towed over a bridge to a nearby airport (Credit: Boeing) “It’s the same thing when we had wildfires nearby, it got pretty hazy inside the factory.” Reese says the factory’s days have an ebb and flow, the factory changing tasks as the day progresses. “The second shift, that’s when there’s more crane activity when there isn’t quite as many people. “When we move a finished aircraft out of the factory it’s driven over a freeway to an airport nearby, and in order not to startle the drivers too much, we tend to do that at night.” Not just the world’s biggest building, but full of surprises too.

Hi all, as you may have seen by now the User Post Bit that is displayed on the left side of a post when viewed on a PC is now complete. here is an explanation of what is contained in the post bit: Please note that the user's general location is displayed as a link which enables you to see on a Google Map the general area of the user which will help everyone in perhaps creating a stronger community of site users by being able to catch up in person if you find yourself flying in the area or get stuck due to weather etc.

If a flying car doesn't really appeal to you, how about a flying bike? A California company is apparently on the verge of making this dream a reality. However, much like the flying cars of today, this product too will not come cheap. The company, Hoversurf, claims to have developed their own engines and computerized flight systems to make their ‘aerial motorbike’ effective, safe and manoeuvrable in the air. All this translates into an asking price of $150,000. For this, you get an impressive, drone-like machine capable of propelling you into the air at something like automobile speeds. What is the Flying Motorbike and Where Does It Come From? This new type of vehicle is called the Hoverbike eVTOL S3 2019. Its makers, Hoversurf, say that the product is ready for sale. eVTOL refers to the battery technology found in the product, a form of the lithium-nickel-manganese block that powers the Hoverbike’s four large propellers. Indeed, the vehicle does closely resemble a drone and is even referred to as one in the company’s product-information material. However, this drone is capable of lifting a human (who weighs about 250 pounds or less) up to 16 feet off the ground. This human can sit on the Hoverbike, and control it via front-mounted stalks, much like a regular motorbike. A shot of the Hoverbike in flight. (Source: Howversurf) Hoversurf claims that their new “personal drone” can fly at up to 60 miles per hour. However, as with many other pro-sumer drones, it can only do so for about 25 minutes at a time. The company asserts, however, that the onboard computer is equipped with the flight-modeling and fail-safes necessary to control the risks of collisions or fatal cut-outs in the air. This modeling is also intended to address other dangers, including wind speed and turbulence while flying. So, Who Gets to Fly a Hoverbike? As with Terrafugia’s latest 'flying car,' the Hoverbike does not require that the user have a pilot’s license or other specialist training. Hoversurf commented on this saying that it has been categorized as an ‘ultralight aircraft’ by the FAA, thus rendering its use unrestricted and without the need for certification (in the United States, at least). However, a potential customer may need the financial flexibility needed to rationalize spending over $100,000 on what is essentially a giant bike-sized drone. These enthusiasts could also be advised to wear a helmet while riding their new flying bikes. Speaking of flying vehicles, the Hoverbike is not the only product its manufacturer has in mind. Hoversurf also seems to be working on developing flying taxis too. This new type of drone is also powered by eVTOL technology and is portrayed as having an enclosed cabin. The “electric flying car” may be propelled by Hoversurf’s new type of engine, the Venturi. The company claims that this is a hybrid between the engines of an aircraft and helicopter but gains additional jet-stream by sucking ordinary air into it, which, in turn, increases efficiency and reduces noise. New Type of Taxi, New Type of Engine The Venturi’s moving parts are all contained within a carbon-fiber shell, which is intended to boost safety and also reduce the engine’s volume. The company has also apparently secured a patent for the Venturi engine. These may be incorporated into the ‘drone taxi’ (also known as Project Formula) to give it vertical take-off and landing. This vehicle is also described as containing sensors for a 3D perspective of its surroundings and object recognition, which may be controlled by an AI for safe and effective flight. It is also to be equipped with an airbag, a ballistic parachute and landing gear in cases of difficult landings or adversity during flight. In addition, from the implication of the title 'drone taxi' and the fact that the scope for only one passenger is mentioned, it appears that this vehicle is also to be driverless. In that case, it is to be hoped that it comes equipped with mapping, traffic control and aerial co-ordination systems like those proposed by a team at MIT for such flying vehicles. Hoversurf does not mention plans to market or sell this particular product (i.e., the taxi), any time soon. However, it is yet another exciting hint of a future with real, personal flying machines!

Airservices Australia today announced it has reached two major milestones in OneSKY, the world-leading program being undertaken jointly with the Department of Defence. Air Traffic Management (ATM) service facilities in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth have switched over to the Civil Military ATM (CMATS) voice communication system. Brisbane’s air traffic service centre will follow suit in early 2019. Voice communications are a cornerstone of any ATM system, allowing air traffic controllers and pilots to talk to each other. “The new CMATS voice communications system enables greater efficiency of our air traffic resources, enhances safety outcomes and minimises service disruptions,” according to Airservices Chief Executive Officer Jason Harfield. “These benefits will be experienced by all users of Australian airspace, from the major airlines and their passengers right through to the smallest ultralight aircraft.” The Airservices and Defence project team worked with operational staff and industry partners, Thales Australia and Frequentis, to ensure a seamless transition to the CMATS voice communication system in the first three locations. “Achieving this milestone on schedule and with no disruption to existing services is an exceptional demonstration of how civil and military air traffic operations will work together,” Mr Harfield said. Airservices and Thales have also just completed the system definition review for CMATS, the technical platform that will unite Australia’s civil and military air traffic control systems. The project now moves into the detailed design phase. “We are proud to deliver these key milestones in the OneSKY program just nine months after signing contracts with our military and industry partners,” said Mr Harfield. About OneSKY OneSKY is a world-leading program to align the needs of civil and military aviation, while catering for the forecast growth in the aviation sector. Over the coming years, advanced air traffic management technology will be introduced in stages to unlock more than a billion dollars of economic benefits for Australia.

Owning and flying your own small airplane offers a nearly unmatched level of freedom and autonomy. Traveling “as the crow flies” without having to deal with traffic on the ground immediately shrinks your world, and makes possible all sorts of trips and adventures. Unfortunately the crippling downsides of plane ownership (storage and maintenance costs, knowledge that you might die in a fiery crash, etc), keeps most of us planted squarely on terra firma. But not [iTman496]. His dream of owning an ultralight has recently come true, and he’s decided to share his experience with the world. He’s got a long way to go before he slips the surly bonds of Earth, but there’s no better place to start than the beginning. In a recent blog post he documents the process of getting his new toy home, and details some of the work he plans on doing to get it airworthy. The plane in question is a Mini-MAX that [iTman496] has determined is not only older than he is, but has never flown. It was built by a retired aircraft mechanic who unfortunately had problems with his heart towards the end of assembly. He wisely decided that he should find a safer way to spend his free time than performing solo flights in an experimental aircraft, so he put the plane up for sale. After a considerable adventure transporting the plane back home, [iTman496] found it was stored in such good condition that the engine started right up. But that doesn’t mean it’s ready for takeoff by any stretch of the imagination. For his own safety, he’s planning on tearing down the entire plane to make sure everything is in good shape and assembled correctly; so at least he’ll only have himself to blame if anything happens when he’s in the air. One the plane’s structure is sound, he’ll move on to some much needed engine modifications including a way to adjust the air-fuel mixture from inside the cockpit, improvements to the cooling system, and installation of a exhaust system that’s actually intended for the two-stroke engine he has. When that’s done, [iTman496] is going to move onto the real fun stuff: creating his own “glass cockpit”. For Hackaday readers who don’t spend their time playing make believe in flight simulators, a “glass cockpit” is a general term for using digital displays rather than analog gauges in a vehicle. [iTman496] has already bought two daylight-readable 10.1″ IPS displays which he plans on driving over HDMI with the Raspberry Pi. No word on what his software setup and sensor array will look like, but we’re eager to hear more as the project progresses. If you’re not lucky enough to find a mostly-complete kit plane nearby on Craigslist, you could always just make your own airplane out of sheets of foam.

Photo: Courtesy Pal-V While we devote much ink (both actual and virtual) in our aviation coverage to first-class cabins, business jets, and charter services, planes are by no means the only ways to experience the thrill of flight. In fact, people were enjoying soaring through the air even before the invention of the airplane in a contraption that will actually make an appearance later on this list. The point is, there are plenty of fun ways to get an elevated perspective on things, from functional jetpacks to autogyros. Hoversurf Hoverbike parked Photo: courtesy of Hoversurf Hoverbike The Hoversurf Hoverbike is technically a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle. However, while most of the full-size VTOLs that hope to come to market will have to contend with strict FAA regulations (many of which still have to be debated and implemented), the Hoverbike was able to receive classification as an ultralight aircraft, which means that riders don’t need to get a pilot’s license or certification (though Hoversurf requires that the owner takes a mandatory training course). The fully-electric aircraft is ridden like a motorcycle, with four propellers at each corner to provide lift and thrust. Its carbon fiber body saves weight, which means Hoversurf was able to install larger batteries that can keep the personal drone aloft for 10 to 25 minutes (depending on rider weight and other factors). When pressed to its limit, the Hoverbike can fly up to a restricted 60 mph. The company is taking orders now for the $150,000 machine, which will be delivered in two to six months. The mandatory training package costs another $10,000. FlyDoo light sport balloon in flight Photo: courtesy of SkyDoo Hot Air Balloon The oldest form of air transportation on this list, unmoored ballooning has been around for more than 200 years (fun fact: The world’s first balloon passengers were a sheep, a duck, and a rooster). Although many people think of ballooning as fodder for cheesy romantic dates or remember it for its Mandela Effect–like non-role in Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days, there are still enthusiasts out there who turn what is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most people into a serious hobby. And why not? While most of the vehicles on this list are meant to stir up your adrenaline, ballooning is about relaxation and killer views. One exciting new development in the field is the two-person FlyDoo, which could become the first hot-air balloon in the light sport category if the FAA approves the design. This development would make ballooning much more accessible to those with a casual interest. A complete FlyDoo is priced at around $21,000, but for an extra $14,000, you can add a vectored thrust unit (aka a motorized propeller) to help you direct your course. Apollo Flight Labs JetPack Photo: Courtesy Apollo Flight Labs Jetpack In most people’s minds, jetpacks are the stuff of science fiction and action movies. However, while no practical working model has been produced at scale, there are a few designs out there that you can actually get your hands on. Recently, Gravity Industries put a number of their Jet Suits on sale at Selfridge’s for $373,310. The suit employs a main thruster that attaches to the pilot’s back and two thrusters on each arm to control direction (yes, just like Iron Man). You may also want to comb the back alleys of eBay to get your jetpack fix. In September, Apollo Flight Labs put one of their used jetpacks up for auction to clear out some space in their shop. The Calidus AutoGyro has been flying in Europe since 2009 Photo: Courtesy Calidus Autogyro The technology behind autogyros is not new; It was developed nearly a century ago by Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva with the goal of creating an aircraft that could fly safely at low speed. Classified along with helicopters as rotocraft, an autogyro is different because instead of a motor driving the rotor blades, it has a free-spinning rotor that provides lift simply by the aircraft moving forward—thrust that is usually provided by a motorized propeller at the rear. Thankfully, autogyros are much easier to pilot than helicopters and revised FAA regulations have made it easier for models to get certified. The Calidus Autogyro, one of the most popular designs in Europe—where autogyros are a more common sight—was recently certified in the U.S. and can now be purchased for around $100,000 from its U.S. distributor, AutoGyro USA. If you’re in no rush, you can also check out the Pal-V, an autogyro design that’s in development, with certification planned for 2020 (though this date has moved back a few times in the past). This unique vehicle is not only an autogyro; when it lands, its rotors and tail fold away, transforming it into a road-going three-wheeler. The Pal-V Liberty version is priced at $600,000, while the PAL-V Liberty Sport costs $400,000. DJI Goggles give you an immersive view from your drone. Photo: courtesy DJI Drone with VR headset The consumer drone revolution has made the buzzing little aircraft the easiest way to begin a lifelong obsession with flight. But controlling a drone from the ground while watching its camera feed through your phone isn’t quite the same experience as being up in the air yourself. That’s were another revolutionary technology that’s picking up steam comes in. Many drones now support VR headsets that give pilots a completely immersive first-person view. Alternately, you could let a friend wear it while you pull off your most daring aerial maneuvers and try to make them sick. Market leader DJI offers a pair of $350 VR goggles that work with its popular Mavic, Spark, Phantom, and Inspire series. This pair also features headtracking mode, in which the viewer can control the pitch of the camera and yaw of the drone with just their head movements, letting you take in the scene as if you were a passenger in the drone itself.