Freizeitpilot

Actually, I’d argue that on airfield fuel sources are not necessarily plentiful…and possibly getting rarer. In my (brief) experience flying around western NSW, almost the first item on the flight plan was where can I get (avgas) fuel ? ….and then potentially changing the route to suit the fuel sources, rather than simply enjoying playing tourist. However, almost every one horse town in Australia has a mogas bowser, which opens up a world of flying possibilities which is a key attraction of RA-Aus to me. The challenge is that quite often the servo is a solid walk from the airfield, but not if you’re lugging 40L of fuel…….and if you’re flying with a pax you may be fuel limited. I’m not tempted to go down the rabbit hole of avgas vs mogas and the freshness of that mogas from the one horse town bowser, etc, etc)…but I’ve appreciated the debate and I reckon Garfly has potentially nailed the solution anyhow.

Coming from a vertically challenged family, I already have a collapsible stool, and yes it would be ideal for filling a high wing while away. The tallest I’ve seen is approx 40cm, but that should be enough, unless you’re flying a Cessna Caravan or something. https://amzn.asia/d/4kzRF62

Thanks Danny, The various A/C I’m considering have limited cabin storage and a cargo door which looks too small (without breaking out the tape measure) to squeeze a rigid Jerry can through, hence the thought of collapsibles. The flying Ute looks a bit more attractive at this point ! …..but let’s not turn this into a thread about a/c choice, I’m just interested in how people get fuel from a servo to an airfield if thumbing a ride gets tricky.

Many aircraft have a duration of 5 + hours and simply flying somewhere else to get fuel, was not the original intent of the scenario….but thanks for the lateral thought.

From what I understand, you can carry up to 250L of fuel in compliant Jerry cans, but they should not be carried on the outside of a vehicle in an area that may be exposed to collision risk. Are NSW regs unique ? What if the airfield was in another State ?

Hmmm, thanks Garfly. Now we’re getting somewhere ! I’d probably retrofit bigger wheels to truck over gravel, etc, but the concept is good. FP

We’re all perpetual students aren’t we ? But, no, in this hypothetical, it is not a training flight. I also understand that a 7kg beach trolley weighs about 6.5kg too much. So I’m still interested what ideas the RF Illuminati can come up with to resolve the dilemma in the scenario.

…….and for a 24 registered aircraft ?

Maybe try Parkes, with an ‘e’ and you may have better luck ! The app shows 6 servos for me.

As a newbie on this forum and prospective LSA owner, I’ve read probably a cuppla hundred posts on the best methods of pumping fuel, arguments over the correct type of fuel, stale fuel, airfields with fuel nearby, etc, etc. However, I still have one dilemma I’m interested in how other pilots have solved….. So, you’ve landed at a specific location you really needed to go to, that has no on airfield fuel at all, but there is a servo about a km away. You have two x 20L collapsible (compliant ) Jerry cans with you, but the airfield is completely deserted, so you decide to trek on foot to the servo. It’s a hot day, but you make it to the servo and fill up your 20L fuel bladders with mogas - happy days ! You ask a bloke with a nice new car at the servo for a lift back to the airfield, and he looks at you and what he perceives are your dodgy fuel bladders, and says, sorry mate, I’m going the other way….…So, you begin the 1km slog back to the airfield on foot trying to lug ~ 17kg in each hand - I dunno about you lot, but I’m getting too old for that sh#$@t. So what’s the solution ? Do you show a bit of leg and hope to get a lift, pay for an Uber/Taxi (who then declines to carry your fuel bladders anyway) or what ?? Yeah, I know in trip planning, almost the first thing you plan for is fuel availability ! But that can severely limit your options if you only seek out airfields with fuel on tap. Is this a possible answer - it’s a half-sized beach buggy. They can handle up to 100kg, but weighs about 7kgs. Its a heck of a lot of junk and weight to carry around in the back of the plane just for this purpose, but at least it can be used for other things. How have others solved this dilemma ?? Opinions ? Experience ? Alternatives ?

The best App I’ve found to date is PetrolSpy. This will give you the location of all the local servos, distance to the servo from your location once you arrive, fuel grades available, and the most recently recorded price(s) (including when the most recent price was uploaded)……and it’s national. All you need to do is zoom in on your prospective airfield(s) and see how far away the servos are from the airfield, see what fuel grades they have and the price. Great App ! Sometimes you have to duck around the advertising on the app, but that is a small inconvenience for what is otherwise a great free planning resource.

I read somewhere that 200 aircraft have registered to attend …..and the weather looks perfect. I hope it’s a great meet for everyone attending ! (Sadly I’m not)

Hmmmm ok, so the thread got hijacked pretty early. No problem, it looks like the RA-Aus logbook was the winner. Thank you to the respondents.

That’s what I’ll be doing.

As an aspiring aircraft owner, I’m interested in what current aircraft owners use for a maintenance log book ? I use the RA-AUS Aircraft Maintenance Logbook I use a hard/soft cover Aircraft Maintenance Logbook available from an aviation store/site I made my own I use a purpose-made App on my electronic device Maintenance ? I changed the oil in 1997, or at least I think I did. Thanks, FP

Please find safety information for emergency services personnel attached. This information is only for BRS systems. 422887006-First-Responders-pdf.pdf

Is that a ‘drag’ queen ?

But wait, there’s more ! Here is an article from a manufacturer that describes circumstances on when their system should be deployed, and also circumstances when it wasn’t deployed but should have been. how-to-use-grs-parachute(2).pdf

If you were to purchase a new aircraft from overseas and ADS-B was fitted as an extra cost option, I don’t believe this cost attracts a rebate.

I believe the inference in a totally destroyed airframe would be ‘not economically repairable’. FP

The attached article sums it up : “One more roll of the dice” ; “You should pull the handle only when a forced landing can’t be carried out”. These circumstances are very rare, but also as the article mentions, when you need a BRS, you really need it. The expectation of deployment in a Cirrus is that the airframe will be totally destroyed, but the occupants will most likely survive. In Europe there was one deployment in an ELA for a seemingly needless reason, where the composite aircraft was inspected and repaired and flying again in 6 weeks. The key difference here is inertia, where the BRS debate really fires up. Bottom line is if you can afford the extra weight and expense of a BRS and it doesn’t lull you into ‘pushing the envelope’, why not have one ? Of course in Europe, in a number of countries BRS is compulsory and is a standard fitment in the aircraft anyway. Parachutes, ejector seats and whole airframe recovery systems - Pilot.pdf

Hmmm, maybe a WT9 for a low wing and the latest version of the FK9 for a high wing. As you say, let fantasies rule !

Interesting topic - it is such an individual thing ! I would add, possibly as part of the comfort aspect, places within easy reach in the cockpit to store stuff. Such as charts,log book, POH, water bottle, jacket, lunch - let’s call it cabin ‘utility’, and maybe even cabin heating & ventilation……..and then tied to the mission would be outward visibility, useable load, endurance and secure baggage storage. My mission is primarily lengthy cross country touring with a pax and commonly at MTOW.

Looking like a fun weekend. 19-21 April. https://www.ozstol.com/

Purely a personal thing, but I would prefer the FK14 Polaris for a low wing. FP