leestanley

oops... Thanks Ross for that advice... Interestingly, I picked up a calibration error on one of my maps with which MapTrax concurred - they sent me a new one so very happy with their service and response. Lee.

Maps if anyone would like them... All, I purchased VTC13, WAC 3469 and 3470 (Hamilton and Melbourne) and VNC01 in a variety of formats for Ozi Explorer and other apps - .ozfx3, .bsb and .nosGeo. I am very happy to share if anyone would like them - please PM me. Very happy with my 5" generic GPS - unlocked and set up with Ozi and car navigation! Thanks Ross for starting this thread - very valuable! Cheers, Lee.

Here is the link for Milawa... Brown Brothers Also, Barwon Heads (YBRS) has tea and coffee and the very friendly Barb and there is a fresh seafood retailer next door. Last weekend they said they were going to crank up hot food in the near future... Lee.

Yes Ross, I think there would be interest... device specification and selection would be the thing... 7" v 4.3" bluetooth, fm, etc etc Great idea!

Silly question perhaps but how do guys cope with the (apparent) battery life of 10 - 15 minutes? I don't the Jabs I fly out of TDN have a cigarette lighter :) Lee.

Thanks skydog, brentc... I think I'll go with YLIL for GA as I also want to be able to fly their Jabs (to save 20 mins each way when flying north)

Hi Skydog and thanks for the post... I am interested in where you did your PPL conversion - was it at the same school you did your RAA training? The extra hours you suggest from RAA to GA are very reasonable but I wonder if I could get away with that going to a new GA school after doing all my RAA at YTDN??? Lee.

Bob, did you mean to say PPL in yr post? My understanding (without researching thoroughly) was that once Certified, and with pax and x-country endorsements, you could bypass the GFPT stage and go straight to PPL (after completing min 40 hours, 2 hours instruments, etc and passing the PPL exam) Cheers, Lee.

another plug for Melbourne - Tooradin or Lilydale perhaps... former has a great restaurant, accommodation (i think) nearby, close to phillip island, south gippsland latter is right in the middle of the yarra valley - chateau yeering, etc Lee.

Cessna ditches in Melbourne Two men have escaped injury after their Cessna light plane made an emergency landing on a golf course next to Moorabbin Airport in Melbourne's south-east. Police say the two-seater plane was on a training exercise when it was forced to land on the Capital Golf Course around 12:30pm AEST. The pilot and trainee were treated by paramedics on the scene before being released. No damage was done to the plane.

Excuse my ignorance - what is the very simple ethanol content test? Lee.

Also Morgan, check out the general discussion thread on the costs of PPL v RAA... enlightening and much more cost effective!

Thanks Mike and Matt for your trip reports... Mike, I hope to be heading up the Shep soon... I have a very good mate who lives at Kialla Lakes with his family so can't wait to test out my soon to be achieved xc endorsement with a quick trip up for morning tea! I might even try and get a famil in your Tecnams... Lee.

Thanks to you all for the pics, thoughts, banter - tremendous stuff! ;)

Hi Emma... you're setting a great example for my wife Angela as I try to get her enthusiasm up :) We have yet to enjoy our first flight together - I'm sure that will do the trick! Lee.

hi morgan and welcome to this great place. there is a very good thread - Cost of RAA-Aus versus PPL - under General Discussion. Have a look there for info and comparisons. Lee.

Looks like it will be an auction, Darren... I can't let you snap it up that easily

oops... thanks Ross!

Just a marketing thought... getting every forum member to print 20 or 30 and take down to their flying school/ club would be a great way to quickly propagate the message - you'd immediately capture those already flying and those thinking about it! but i'm sure you've already thought of that Ian ;) Lee.

Hi Nev, Have a look at the thread under Announcements - Costs of RAA v PPL - for some great discussion on this topic. I'm 43 so in a similar position to you. I've just got my Certificate and soon I'll have my x country endorsement. I am considering a PPL solely so I can take the whole family with me eventually (4 + me). If not for the need to fly a people mover, I'd stick with RAA only. Cheers, Lee.

Ian, Great to meet you today and see the realisation of your hard work over these past months. The stand looked fantastic... and the CT-SW - well, what can one say ! :big_grin: I'll be back Thursday for another dose ! Lee.

My stats are similar to Mikes - I am now at Certificate + pax endorsement stage and have invested approx $5400. At this point in my training I am essentially at the equivalent of the GFPT stage of a PPL and I calculate (based on published rates at another school) that I am about $1300 ahead so far. It's now that the savings and value of Rec aviation kick in. If I budget 10 hours to complete x-country I will have gained a flying qualification which is all but a PPL (for my needs, at least) for a little over $7000. (By the Regs, I could gain my xc after 5 hours, as one forum member recently announced, however many CFIs increasingingly see 10 hours as the appropriate anount of time to xc) It's no wonder that the smart GA schools are now embracing Rec aviation as a way of ensuring they attract and hold on to students as long as possible.

yes, i think yr right brent... a local has just confirmed that it's helos only... i'll take the D9 down and see if i can extend it a little :) thats ok though... apollo bay is only 30 minutes away... if we get the place, i'll get an old station wagon and leave it there for when we fly in. we'll drive down saturday and check it out and i'll drop in and see victor as well and check out the field. (perhaps i'm getting ahead of myself :;)4: )

Thanks Brent. Yes, I had found those links and was going to give Victor a call. It's the other strip I am really interested in... Angie has found a weekender she likes the look of and she says it would be ideal because we could all fly in... (how is that for an understanding partner!!)

Hi All, I'm trying to find details of possible places to land in the vicinity of Cape Otway (Vic) My Vic Roads Country directory shows possible strips at Marengo (Apollo Bay) and Hordern Vale (near Aire River Estuary) I went online to Air services and could find nothing... does anyone know of these strips? Cheers, Lee.