JMLIS

Some schools will train you in your own aircraft, I don't know if that includes a hired aircraft. Perhaps the reason the C150 is so cheap is because it is not used for training, or may require a minimum number of hours for the pilot? Are both aircraft on the same field or would you have to fly it over. I think, but am not sure, that the instructor will need a licenced school controlling them before they can operate.

It does not require interference from the other side to kill GPS. 6 NM North West of the town of Stonehenge in QLD is a facility that looks like a runway, not marked on aviation maps. I flew over it at about 500 FT AGL once and the GPS on a tablet, one on my phone, and a hand held GPS on board all immediately failed. One came good a couple of hours later, one of them did not work for 24 hours! Back in the early 90's I had a panel mounted GPS fail between Roma and Longreach. After sending the unit back to the States it turned out to be a $2 internal battery. By the time the unit was back in the aircraft it cost $500! Fortunately on both occasions I had paper maps along with me.

Having done over 800 hours in light helicopters with a ppl, only 7 or so in a home-built, I would consider teaching yourself to fly a helicopter far more dangerous than playing seven games of Russian roulette in a row!

You will need to do a 5 hour conversion, however RAA do have several different categories, each of which may or may not come directly over with your current experience. For example, Nose Wheel, Tail Wheel, Low inertia, Two Stroke engine, Retractable undercarriage, Variable propeller, cross country, controlled airspace. I did mine twelve years ago in a drifter which added the Two Stroke and low inertia. Involved about 50 minutes dual, including test flight, and a lot of time filling at about 55 knots!

For the person asking about a tailwheel Skyranger, I have one. Basically it appears to be a Ski conversion retro-fitted for summer flying with wheels. It is my theory that the lighter a machine is the more of a hand-full it is. This seems to apply to everything from Aircraft and Bulldozers through Excavators and tractors through to quads, but may not apply to two wheels! With the original non differential brakes the aircraft could be a nightmare to handle at times, especially with a tailwind. The rudder is shorter than standard and the directional rib under fuselage is removed. The only way to recover directional control when being lost was to apply power. It was always a dream to handle into a good breeze. Once fitted with differential heel brakes it became much more manageable, although still more skittish than my Maule. When I purchased my kit, the tailwheel part arrived separately, and the then French Australian agent found words in the French instructions that he did not understand! That made assembly interesting. The supplied tail spring was far too short. I have done over three hundred hours in it and consider it a fantastic fun machine for bush and local flying.

In fifty years of flying I have twice found water in the fuel. On both occasions the aircraft had been re-fueled within the last five minutes. Once was a brand new drum, the other was a commercial fuel-bowser.