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DarkSarcasm

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Everything posted by DarkSarcasm

  1. Hi Kaz! Life is going well now, just got back into flying 2 months ago after 3 years on the ground for various reasons (money/time continuum). Not flying the Hughes any more, had 3 lessons but it was too expensive at $500 a pop. Now a happy defector to Coldstream airfield and I'm really enjoying the social side. Have done about 11 hours (4 solo) getting back up to speed, hoping to do my BFR in the next week or two :)
  2. I highly recommend Coldstream. Great aircraft, great instructors, friendly atmosphere and a flying club that actually do things (comps, friday night pizza etc). Previously I was flying at Lilydale but it didn't have the same 'community' I've found at Coldstream
  3. Just to check: 1. I can't use my PPL without an ASIC, correct? Even if I'm going nowhere near anywhere security controlled 2. If I let my ASIC lapse for a while, my PPL won't lapse as well? It's not linked? I realise I can't use it, but I won't lose it, yes? Cheers
  4. So, apparantly it's time for me to renew that lovely piece of plastic that costs me $190 and I use about once a year. I have two questions: 1. If I let it lapse, can I renew it later or do I need to reapply? Is it difficult to reapply once it lapses? Only asking because I don't think I'll be flying on my PPL for the next month or two (trying to build up finances) so wouldn't need it and trying to delay having to pay $190... 2. As a lawyer, I can certify/witness documents. For the ASIC renewal, I need to get my photos "endorsed". Reckon they'd accept it if I "endorsed" my own?
  5. Yeah I realise that, sorry. I think they need to be. I was just trying to put down a thought (while I still had it) that should be (or probably has been) considered if this is to go ahead :)
  6. Even if the ATSB becomes responsible for investigating RA-Aus accidents, they already have a limited budget and have to choose what to investigate, I have a feeling RA-Aus will be towards the bottom of the priority list, would there be an allowance for RA-Aus to investigate should the ATSB choose not to?
  7. How do you fit the Akubra in the plane? I don't think I could wear mine comfortably in the Jab, I'd most likely keep banging the brim on things I reckon. I hit my head on the sun visor in the Warrior at the best of times, the perils of having to sit so far foward to reach the pedals I guess...
  8. I have a Citizen Hawk Red Arrows edition - http://www.pooleys.com/prod_detail.cfm?product_id=2014. Not sure what it costs here but I purchased in the UK. I haven't used the whizz wheel function in flight yet, but it's good a good easy to read face with markings for each minute, very easy to read during navs. Technically a mens watch but I ignore stuff like that...
  9. At the time it was more frustrating than scary. I know I can land, it just wasn't coming together enough for to what I considered a safe landing. Although it's a licence to learn (and it *definitely* is) the confidence boost in my flying I got from getting my licence gave me the confidence to say in situations like that "I know I can do this, I passed a skills test showing I can do this, so just get it together Darky, ok?". Don't read that as overconfidence, because I am definitely not overconfident about my flying, but just that confidence inside that I've landed lots of times before so I just need to get it together and do it again.
  10. If you're not sure, do at least one nav flight to see what it's like. I fly from the same valley you do and it is beautiful, but getting out of there is even more amazing and knowing Australia is at your fingertips (essentially). Just be aware that you'll likely spend most of nav training feeling like you're constantly about one minute away from a nervous breakdown (at least, I felt that way), but once I did my first solo nav and realised I could do it solo, it was all worth it. My first solo nav is my most prized flying memory, even more than my first solo. :)
  11. I had days like that when I was training and now I've got my PPL I still have days like that. Especially in the Jab, I've had times when I've had to do three go arounds in a row because I just couldn't get the landing together. You'll get there :)
  12. My favourite is A Town Like Alice On the Beach is probably second
  13. Please, for the love of God, leave it alone. Too many changes and members will leave. Personally I think it's gotten disorganised and difficult to use, I can't find any of the discussion areas I used to like and the chat doesn't work for me. Fix what needs to be fixed, keep it free and stop confusing members with changes.
  14. RA flying is cheaper compared to shooting too. I looked into getting my pistol licence earlier this year. Between $300 per year for membership of the pistol club, $50 per year for membership of the Sporting Shooters Association and another $165 per year (or 5 years, I forget) to the Police for the licence, my bank account took one look at that, then its current level from flying, and went and sat in the corner and cried.
  15. RA flying is cheaper compared to shooting too. I looked into getting my pistol licence earlier this year. Between $300 per year for membership of the pistol club, $50 per year for membership of the Sporting Shooters Association and another $165 per year (or 5 years, I forget) to the Police for the licence, my bank account took one look at that, then its current level from flying, and went and sat in the corner and cried.
  16. Ask the members, send out an email. Ask people here. If you don't ask, you won't get. Ask FIs to write an article occasionally. Ask some of these people who do the trips to write an article on how they went about planning, or about something they wished they'd known before they left and how they'd deal with it now. Ask Tomo or Cam or one of the many others for a youth perspective. I'm not turning off by the website or the perception, if I was I wouldn't have bothered to get my PPL and now be working on my rotary PPL. I am very "into" flying. The only reason I considered not renewing my RA membership was because I'm flying GA in preference to RA, so am not using it much. If RA was my only source of flying, I'd renew it without a second thought. However, I am also seeing practicalities. A person's initial perception of an organisation like RAA can come from something as simple as the website or their perception of the members. It's an obvious fact. To neglect things like that can suggest a neglect of other areas as well. It doesn't cost much to have a professional looking website where it's easy to find information about the organisation. People have to be idiots if they think something like the website doesn't affect people's opinions of things in this day & age. Flying is expensive. The least RAA can do is appear professional to people who are about to spend ridiculous amounts of money both to them and to flying schools. I'm not complaining, I'm just stating an opinion. Next RAA will be telling us all how member numbers are dropping. Also, as a serious request to RA-Aus. Why not have two membership options like many clubs have - "Flying member" and "Flying member + monthly magazine". That way, people can choose whether they want the magazine delivered or not and choose which membership cost suits them. Members like Carl may well be more likely to stay if they could choose a cheaper membership option without the magazine.
  17. Ask the members, send out an email. Ask people here. If you don't ask, you won't get. Ask FIs to write an article occasionally. Ask some of these people who do the trips to write an article on how they went about planning, or about something they wished they'd known before they left and how they'd deal with it now. Ask Tomo or Cam or one of the many others for a youth perspective. I'm not turning off by the website or the perception, if I was I wouldn't have bothered to get my PPL and now be working on my rotary PPL. I am very "into" flying. The only reason I considered not renewing my RA membership was because I'm flying GA in preference to RA, so am not using it much. If RA was my only source of flying, I'd renew it without a second thought. However, I am also seeing practicalities. A person's initial perception of an organisation like RAA can come from something as simple as the website or their perception of the members. It's an obvious fact. To neglect things like that can suggest a neglect of other areas as well. It doesn't cost much to have a professional looking website where it's easy to find information about the organisation. People have to be idiots if they think something like the website doesn't affect people's opinions of things in this day & age. Flying is expensive. The least RAA can do is appear professional to people who are about to spend ridiculous amounts of money both to them and to flying schools. I'm not complaining, I'm just stating an opinion. Next RAA will be telling us all how member numbers are dropping. Also, as a serious request to RA-Aus. Why not have two membership options like many clubs have - "Flying member" and "Flying member + monthly magazine". That way, people can choose whether they want the magazine delivered or not and choose which membership cost suits them. Members like Carl may well be more likely to stay if they could choose a cheaper membership option without the magazine.
  18. I very nearly didn't renew my RA membership this year for the same reason. I'm still undecided about next year. I fell into RA flying by accident, not by design. If it's going to survive, RA needs to change. I'm sorry, but something that could be viewed as exciting - racing around the sky in small, fast, fun, affordable aircraft - is currently looking as boring as taking the dog to the vet. The website is atrocious and the new one is still nowhere to be seen - if I'd seen the current website before starting RA flying, I would've run a mile. The magazine is a lot better after its revamp, but still leaves something to be desired in my opinion - it's 90% stories of 'we flew there' - which is great, it's an important part of the magic of flying, but it could be improved - have articles about how to plan your first interstate/overnight nav, how to decide what to take, preparation for what happens after an emergency landing, a 'young pilots' corner, the possibilities are endless - have articles about how to have/plan your own adventures, that's 100% more exciting that reading about other people's. Reading about others people's adventures is like looking at somebody else's holiday photos - generally most interesting for the person who went, not the people hearing about it. Or, make the magazine optional or online. I'd prefer to save my $120 yearly to spend on actual flying hours rather than the mag. To be perfectly honest, if I was looking in from the outside at RA at the moment, my impression would be 'a bunch of old men who fly'. I'm not saying all RA members are old (or male) but it does seem that way. I think there should be more emphasis on the affordability, about the young flyers as well, get new younger pilots in. Show it's fun, affordable, show the possibilities it gives you and it's not a bunch of planes made out of old bedsheets. You can't just rely on flying schools to steer all their students into RA before GA (my experience), you need to try and grab people, not just hope they'll find you or trickle in from GA. This organisation has so much potential but it doesn't appear to be even contemplating using it.
  19. I very nearly didn't renew my RA membership this year for the same reason. I'm still undecided about next year. I fell into RA flying by accident, not by design. If it's going to survive, RA needs to change. I'm sorry, but something that could be viewed as exciting - racing around the sky in small, fast, fun, affordable aircraft - is currently looking as boring as taking the dog to the vet. The website is atrocious and the new one is still nowhere to be seen - if I'd seen the current website before starting RA flying, I would've run a mile. The magazine is a lot better after its revamp, but still leaves something to be desired in my opinion - it's 90% stories of 'we flew there' - which is great, it's an important part of the magic of flying, but it could be improved - have articles about how to plan your first interstate/overnight nav, how to decide what to take, preparation for what happens after an emergency landing, a 'young pilots' corner, the possibilities are endless - have articles about how to have/plan your own adventures, that's 100% more exciting that reading about other people's. Reading about others people's adventures is like looking at somebody else's holiday photos - generally most interesting for the person who went, not the people hearing about it. Or, make the magazine optional or online. I'd prefer to save my $120 yearly to spend on actual flying hours rather than the mag. To be perfectly honest, if I was looking in from the outside at RA at the moment, my impression would be 'a bunch of old men who fly'. I'm not saying all RA members are old (or male) but it does seem that way. I think there should be more emphasis on the affordability, about the young flyers as well, get new younger pilots in. Show it's fun, affordable, show the possibilities it gives you and it's not a bunch of planes made out of old bedsheets. You can't just rely on flying schools to steer all their students into RA before GA (my experience), you need to try and grab people, not just hope they'll find you or trickle in from GA. This organisation has so much potential but it doesn't appear to be even contemplating using it.
  20. I'm thinking of putting it on hold for a year. I'm just not sure I'm ready, I want to do the best by any students I have and I'm not sure I'm at the level yet. I assumed that part was obviously implied by the fact I wanted to instruct. That seems an inherent part of the concept of instructing.
  21. Thanks all. I'd like to instruct for two reasons - to improve my own skills and to share my enjoyment of flying with others. I am nervous about the actual idea of instructing because the last thing I'd want to do is to be a bad instructor. I've been burnt by not so good instructors before and I'd be horrified to think I was doing the same to my students. I want to do the very best possible for the students. I agree. I've decided that I will do the training and, after I complete it, then consider whether I feel ready to teach. I will definitely be relying on the asessment and advice of the FI who will be teaching the rating (who I've known for a year or so) as to whether he thinks I'm competetent to teach or whether I should gain more experience first. However, if nothing else, I think doing the rating will improve my own flying and if I don't feel ready to teach when I get the rating, I can gain more experience and then take up teaching. The main reason I am doubting myself and my ability to teach is that I want to do the best for the students and would be terrified if I was the bad instructor that messed up their training.
  22. I have about 120 or so TT (GA and RA). I've done a few navs since I got my PPL but nothing seriously long distance (my finances are still trying to catch up from the training navs).
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