leestanley

Just watched all yr videos Darren... fantastic! I was with the family in Ingham (FNQ) last September. Mate there has a Drifter and we spect a lazy afternoon croc spotting and darting over the canefields... next time I'll take my video. Cheers, Lee.

Well, where do I start... I'm sure GF will be pleased that you have indicated her weight to us all :) Apart from that, the most obvious improvement from the ground is the engine note - the Jab sounded fantastic climbing away. As you reported, she is now quite a stealthy beast - very quiet in the takeoff roll and as you passed overhead. Now, even more, a very different machine to the 160. And, frankly, the 3 bladed prop looks good! Lee

my congratulations as well Ross! you mentioned the regulation 5 hours... thats is great - i had expected, based on other posts, that the XC requirement might have been raised to 10 hours. if it is still 5 i better hustle and get my certificate (only 1.7 solo hours to go)! cheers, lee.

eugene went up with the owner - we'll have to get his impressions.

Thanks Ian, New to this... do presenters generally deliver powerpoint... regardless, are presentations available publicly in soft form after the event for those unable to attend. If possibel, could they be posted here ? :) Lee.

I am about to embark on x country training and would welcome advice from you all regarding these whizz wheels... and especially the relative merits of the EB-6 and the Jeppesen models. One opinion is that the Jeppesens win because they are easy to keep in a pocket. I imagine they are similar in function, if not in form. So, what do you use, and why... Lee.

you've convinced me brent to try the Allegro! i thought you had 100 horses in your 230, or have i got it all wrong? lee.

Thankyou Ross, both tips worked a treat. Cheers, Lee.

Looks like we Tooradin students had better book our lessons quickly for that weekend now that we're one a/c down! Sounds like a fantastic trip Ken. We're you not able to get one of the 160s? I hope you can find the time to provide us all with a post trip debrief! Cheers, Lee.

essentially, anyone in the industry, and that includes all of us, can attend trade days... cost is $45, payable as you enter, each day. the purpose of trade days is basically to stop mum and dad and the kids getting in the way of all the wheeling and dealing! :)

Congratulations Ian, your labour of :;)7: is a must visit point every day! A couple of thoughts... would it be possible to allow us to sort/search the database by location, so I, for example, could locate fellow Tooradin posters. Also, I like to stay logged in during the day whilst at work - having to constantly log back in is a small thing but good if I didn't have to. Cheers, and thanks, Lee.

not the most economic, as you say brent, but certainly makes recreational ownership more attractive by defraying a huge chunk of cost... (as long as you have confidence in instructors level of care, etc) lee

sounds like we might have the basis for considering further in the melbourne area... i'd be happy with a few hours a month... and the odd navex to shep to visit friends... winter would slow me down - kids sport on sat and sundays! cheers, lee.

thanks blueline for sharing your experience... if i read you correctly, the owners stand to receive $75 per hour for approx 15 hours a week... for 40 weeks a year this would equate to $45k for the owners? if i have that right that makes it very attaractive to own, say, a jab160 and put on line at a flying school... or have i missed something fundamental? (obviously there is also insurance, maint, hangarage, etc, etc) lee.

Hi Kirk, I'm certainly interested in a syndicate. Wife won't contemplate an aircraft outright but a syndicate might just get through... There are some good posts elsewhere on things to consider when forming a syndicate. Are you often at Tooradin - I'm there most Sundays at the moment... it would be good to catch up and discuss further. My work email is [email protected] Cheers, Lee.

hi blueline, i'm interested in the ecomonics of unning a flying school... eg, at tooradin, we pay 160 dual... 2 jab160s and 1 lsa55 usually on line. no membership fees and i'm unsure how many students are on the books. there is a popular restaurant at the aerodrome, so perhaps there is a cross subsidy there... your experience and insights would be very valuable! lee.

great advice O M E... thank you. from what you have said you should also select the school very carefully... check out their existing aircraft as a guide to how yours will be treated and talk to the CFI. i guess you would also need to be conscious that you may not always be able to fly when u wanted to if they had the a/c booked for training... lee.

great advice O M E... thank you. from what you have said you should also select the school very carefully... check out their existing aircraft and talk to the CFI. i guess you would also nned to be conscious that you may not always be able to fly when u wanted to if they had the a/c booked for training... lee.

I wonder if Lilydale are planning to dispose of any of their GA training aircraft in lieu of the Jabs... Those dual rates advised by Brent would only be attractive to existing students looking for cheaper dual hours as they are still significantly cheaper than GA. Solo weekend pricing is on par with the competition (eg Tooradin) so, for someone like me who intends to convert to GA asap, Lilydale with Jabs is very attractive for the seamless instructor transition - after I obtain basic certificate and endorsements at Tooradin. Lee.

I noticed that the RA-Aus website is imploring all members to complete the CASA on-line consultation response and to check the 'Yes - Accept without change' response. With my limited knowledge and experience this is what I would be inclined to do. Do others with more knowledge concur? Cheers, Lee.

hi maxamos, pleased to hear im not the only one :) seriously though, the additional hours in difficult conditions have been great - i'm feeling very confident. over the past 3 or 4 hours i've actually completed all the post solo dual work as well whilst waiting for the right day for that elusive solo! the precautionary search and landings on french island were great fun. are you still down at YTDN? might bump into you one sunday... cheers, lee.

Hi Ross, I have thought of that as well... but I'm on the kids school run most days :) so that will have to be a school holidays option! At the moment im getting 3 hours in a weekend and I always fly early in the day so all I can do is wait for the Gods to favour me with a headwind on 04 or 22. I've been ready for first solo for the past 2 or 3 hours... I'm aiming now for my basic cert by about 26 hours, I hope ;) Well done on being ready to go now, Ross! Cheers, Lee

As I am learning... time to solo seems to be governed significantly by the weather... I am currently getting lots of great experience in the cct at YTDN in strong crosswinds (10+ kts) but until I happen to get down there on a calm day I won't be going solo... I've come to realise that time to solo is not that important... the quality of instruction and experience in difficult conditions will always stand me in good stead... as long as I can afford to burn $ in the cct! Thats the rub - until I go solo (and can start accumulating those mandatory 5 hours) I won't be able to get any closer to my certificate and I'll have 20 hours up in a couple of weeks. Loving it though!

Yes, Ken... Lilydale and it is great news... should make it a breeze to move seamlessly from RAAus at Tooradin to GA at Lilydale. Cheers, Lee.

I am now Sales and Marketing manager for an SME specialising in voice and data switching for defence, ATC, C2, etc... Joined the RAAF as an engineer officer out of high school - Frognall 27ECS for any other Froggers out there :) ... 15 years later left and joined Optus managing a Professional Services business unit and then 2 years at NAB before my current role... now learning to fly (now wishing I had when I could have done it real cheap at Point Cook 20 years ago lol) and would love to get paid to fly in some way ... open to suggestions! Cheers, Lee.