Carbon Canary

Happy for contrary views - it adds to our collective knowledge. in my view BRS simply adds another slice to the Swiss cheese pack - when you run out of other options, you still have the chute. Similarly with autopilot - they can be both dangerous and add safety. A student pilot was killed in C172SP in Vic some years ago apparently trying to fight the autopilot which she may have not realised was still engaged. Alternatively, if there is a VFR into IMC incident, autopilot could be a lifesaver. Pilot incapacitation or engine failure over tiger country - probably pull the chute. The statistics are in - chutes save lives. Even the skeptic Paul Bertorelli seems convinced. But each to their own, I fully understand and support the longing for cheap and simple aviation on this forum.

Interestingly, until this year autopilot in ELAs was banned in Germany. I view autopilot as a safety feature in some instances. Other than cost and weight in ELAs what are the other negatives for a BRS ?

There is an ATC audio floating around on the internet of the incident. It appears it all went pear-shaped very quickly for the pilot. In a similar situation if he was above 300’ pulling the chute may well have reduced his injuries. Let’s hope the poor bloke pulls through. I was asked by an aircraft manufacturer if I would routinely allow my son or daughter to drive a car without seatbelts and airbags. He viewed a chute (BRS) in the same light - it’s simply standard safety equipment……and mandatory in Germany, the home of this particular manufacturer. He couldn’t understand the reluctance of uptake for BRS in Australia.

A broker advised me that aircraft hull insurance premiums are rising partly because the capital value is appreciating. The rise in capital value is due to increasing scarcity of aircraft in the Australian market and the increased purchase and delivery costs for new aircraft. Supply and demand. Surprisingly, the demand still seems to be there.

The pilot of VH-XGR has now been named in news reports. Bankstown plane crash, pilot Gregory Ralph in a critical condition | 7NEWS - YouTube

My understanding is even under IFR and under ATC direction, the ultimate responsibility still rests with the pilot to ‘see and avoid’ possibly even in IMC. In other words, it’s always at least one pilots fault if there is a mid-air. I’m not an IFR pilot and may well be talking through my hat. But I attended a CASA Avsafety seminar last night and that was the gist of some of the side conversations. Someone please correct me.

Thanks KR - that's an interesting insight. Are you able to extract that little gem from the roolz and share it with us ? I could keep it in my pocket whilst flying into said airports.

My DAME advised me that once you are on medical ‘surveillance’ by CASA Avmed, you will never get off it, regardless of how healthy you become. For me that means every 12 months (not 2 years) I have to get specialist testing etc that my specialist says is completely unnecessary…and that’s for a Class 2. It costs close to $1,000 each year for this privilege. I’ve also enquired about dropping back to a Basic Class 2, but from what I understand, the Avmed surveillance regime still applies.

What exists beyond them thar hills ?? Unknown 210 years ago, rarely known today.

Well, Gough was going to site the airport at Galston. Sydney folk best know Galston for its very deep gorge. A rather difficult spot to build an international airport - but that was the state of politics at the time. That aside, flying school operators at Bankstown and Camden have been pleading for airspace design detail since WSI was just a thought bubble. I’m predicting some form of VFR lane east to west over the top of WSI will be required for traffic to get over the Blue Mountains. Bathurst / Orange being a routine nav exercise for students. Realistically, following the narrow ‘gap’ through Katoomba limits the amount of serious tiger country between the coastal strip and the western plains. The Bankstown and Camden training area may be pushed further south meaning the transit time for Bankstown traffic will get even more expensive for students. Training further south may start to impinge on Mittagong (which just got some Federal grant money), but it’s usually fairly quiet. Shellharbour (Wollongong) however, has already got crazy busy on the weekends. ADS-B is really proving its worth. Interestingly, to the north, Warnervale on the Central Coast is also booming and also just won aero club of the year. All credit to them, and Bankstown’s loss will be their gain. If RA-Aus does ever get C and D airspace access, let the fun in the Sydney basin really begin ! Oh, and of course everyone knows there has already been a landing at WSI……..about a year ago.

V22 Osprey ?

Badgery’s Creek will operate 24/7.

I believe AMSL are based at Narromine - coincidentally (ironically) also the home of a flyable Wright’s Flyer.

After a number of previous family holidays involving commercial air travel without incident, my older teenage son had a massive screaming panic attack during the takeoff roll on a Jetstar flight leaving Brisbane some years ago. He is now 24 and still won’t go anywhere near aircraft. I’ve explored the fear of flying programs the airlines offer, but he simply won’t budge. I suspect the fear now is more about having another panic attack rather than a fear of flying per se. I can see it will become quite limiting for him if his career eventually requires interstate travel. I understand specific counselling and de-sensitisation is the way forward, but any other suggestions are welcome. Here I am waiting patiently for my new aircraft to be built but know my son is unlikely to ever be one of my passengers.

ATR prop condition and flaps levers side by side. Full feather and flaps 30 lever movement would be very similar. If you were distracted by new airfield approach, tired, etc, may be easy enough to swing the wrong lever by memory feel rather than positively identifying what you had your hand on.

Have we just gone from fueling aeroplanes to proctology ??

Like that ?

If you’re a Sydney to Hobart yacht grinder ??

It’s aluminium

This rotary hand pump appears small and light enough, and can be dismantled to shove in the back of an aircraft......and isn't electric. I have no idea how satisfactory it is at pumping petrol, but for ~$9 + freight, it's probably worth a punt. Of course, pumping from collapsible jerry cans may still present a problem, but at least you could do it from the ground. Motorcycle Hand Rotary Oil Pump Manual Hand Crank Rotary Pump Oil Fuel Transfer For Car Auto Truck Trailer Rv Boat Marin - Fuel Pumps - AliExpress

I see the RFDS is now operating Pilatus PC24s into dirt strips.

Passenger management ??

...and of course the channel 7 stock footage shows a throttle quadrant with four throttles.

Oh, and total cost for the home-made boy scout tiedowns was ~$6.........for the beer afterward.

Made myself a set of 'Boy Scout' tie-downs over the weekend using the image in this thread as a guide. I too had read the article in the "Australian Pilot" magazine from some years ago regarding the High Sierra fly-in incident. I used 10mm high tensile rebar which can be bent with a fair bit of swearing but without heat, if you try hard enough. I imagine if anyone had a proper rebar bender it would be a piece of cake. I haven't used these tie-downs in anger yet, but I like the simplicity and application of the physics involved. That said, I hope I never find out their limitation. Each peg weighs ~300g.