pmccarthy

Clink go the coins boys clink clink clink

Changeover day is closer than you think

Be among the first when the coins begin to mix

On the 14th of February 1966

Despite the varying opinions this discussion has reinforced for me the need to be very careful and balanced with manoeuvres near the ground, including turning final and any emergency management. I am still unsure about side slipping. I was taught to do it, and have done it for years to adjust rate of descent, but have been told by some instructors that it is dangerous and a bad practice.

This was discussed elsewhere. Recovery from an incipient stall does not tell you what will happen if you are a bit slower and experience the real thing. That is never demonstrated.

Some posters here seem to have a lot of experience of forced landings and it would be good to have the benefit of their experience. Assuming you have spotted the power lines and fences, how do you select a good paddock? When I am driving I look at paddocks and spot the rocks on basalt plains, the gilgais on river flats and so on, and wonder how I would spot them from the air. I look at the colour of the grass and try to remember what matches a good flat surface, but it changes fro week to week. The glider pilots are probably the best ones to help. Is it best to land down the furrows of a fallow paddock, or to take your chances next door in a grazing paddock that hasn't been plowed? How much useful information can be picked up in a forum like this, rather than by harsh experience?

Perhaps there is a clue in what happened with motor cars. In the 1920s there were rag tops like the Model T Ford and the Chev tourer, in fact nearly all cars were rag tops made to a price. Then in the 30s the sedan body became the norm, with a six instead of a four cylinder engine. Despite the depression, new car buyers were more affluent and wanted the enclosed bodies. You could still buy soft-top cars, but they were generally sports cars and more more expensive, not less expensive, than the cars of the previous decade.

This analogy would see discerning buyers of rag and tube planes paying a premium to enjoy the wind in the hair experience, just as the drivers of Bentley roadsters and MGs did in the 1930s. The ordinary buyer would look for the simplicity and low maintenance of a Jabiru. The down-at-heels buyer would look at secondhand aircraft of either type within a price range.

And on the subject of cheap flying - flying was very popular in 1970 when I started and I could hire a 100HP Victa for $11.50 per hour on a salary of $2,700 per year. Average salaries were probably $5,000 as I was just starting work. So an average salary would buy around 400 hours of the cheapest aircraft hire. Today average salary is $60,000 I think, so cheapest aircraft hire should be $150 per hour on the same basis. We had a boom in flying back then, I think it caught the imaginations of young people, it wasn't about it being more affordable.

Daffyd, my crystal ball says the future is bright for existing two-seater designs with another 30-50kg useable. 100 litres is sufficient fuel, but allow for two fashionably obese people and a bit of luggage or a tent. This can't be done with current materials under the current rules, so either new materials or a rule change is required. It is argued that the weight limit has to stop somewhere and 600kg is it, but 600kg is just a bit short of what is needed to make a safe aeroplane to carry two "average" people in comfort today.

My 912ULS ideals at 1700rpm on the ground but will not go below 2000rpm at best glide speed of 59 knots. So I suspect that the glides I achieve in practice are being extended somewhat. It would be good to try it with a dead engine and see how different it is. I might ask an instructor whether he is willing!

The subject of passenger ability is an obvious follow on from this incident, the purpose of this forum is to improve safety and save lives. TP please provide a link to the thread mentioned.

I can't imagine how letting my wife understand the basic controls at a safe altitude would lead to a loss of control, let alone an accident. I'm not averse to paying for some dual hours in a club trainer, but I think experience in our own aircraft would be more valuable.

But if I give my wife enough stick time to potentially repeat this great outcome, even if we do it at 5000 feet, I am acting illegally.

My wife thought that the GA aircraft were old and smelly ( true for the ones I was flying) so I took her Drifter flying, and she didn't like it. The new LSA appealed because it seemed like a brand new sports car. My point is that whatever I may have chosen is irrelevant, if you want to share the interest with a partner, a shiny new modern- looking aeroplane has appeal. I can fly for fun whenever I wish and we can go places interstate or cross Bass Straight for a few days in comfort. My cost is insurance, hangar, fuel at about 17 litres per hour, and about $1000 annually for maintenance. It is hard to imagine cheaper flying than that. I would still like to fly rag and tube but can't justify it.

Today's Age says that yesterday's incident involved three people in a Cessna 150. It says the ATC told them to circle Forbes and dump fuel! The photo is of a Cessna 150. Surely some reality check is possible in the news process?

It would be good if some summaries and statistics were published, without naming names, to reassure us that this process is working. Similar to what is done with complaints to professional societies such as Engineers Australia about their members.

In order of ownership,

Royal Enfield 250 (1936), Honda CB72E (1965), Yamaha RT1 360 (1971), Ariel KG 500 twin (1951), Honda CB175 (crap), Yamaha RT2 360 (1972), Ariel VH500 Red Hunter (1949), BMW R65 (1985). First one bought in 1970, still have most of them after a dozen house moves! Lack of imagination i suppose. And girls used to like a ride home from the aero club.

Sounds like we have a constitution that is unsuited to the role and responsibilities of the organisation today.

I am concerned about the call for board minutes. I have spent half a lifetime on public and private company boards and have never been called upon to release board minutes to the members or shareholders. If you did, the minutes would have to be so bland that they were not a sufficiently accurate record of meetings. There is nothing wrong with releasing a summary of the meeting outcomes or decisions, but that is not a set of minutes. One legal school of thought says that board members should not take board papers out of the hoard room or keep copies of them. I have worked in that environment. In these litigious times we have to respect the confidentiality and discretion of our elected members. They have to continuously decide what they can communicate to members and what they can't. I don't know Maj from a bar of soap but I respect the balance he is trying to achieve.

Another point is that with the rudder straight ahead it is less effectual when you move it. It has to " take up slack" against the airflow before you get a result. Whereas with a bit of rudder either way, it is already working and the response is instant.

Great explanation DZ.

I was working in an underground mine, studying evenings at Tech and doing flying training at 6am. The instructor said I was the first student to fall asleep during training, on my first dual cross country. Many years ago.

1969 - the year I discovered flying, and girls. They went together pretty well. Hair wasn't that big though.

John Denver's music was ultralight, but in the end quite down to earth.

Some people have a good connection between their brains and their feet. Others, like me, have to keep reminding their feet to kick when they are swimming. A tail wheel endorsement would be challenging.

On the flip side, C&W stars like Patsy Kline have not fared well in light aircraft.

OK it's been driving me crazy. A thread with this heading has been on and off the instructors forum for weeks. What is the secret that the instructors are keeping to themselves? What pearl of wisdom would make my landings more predictable and professional? What are those two pedals for anyway?