cscotthendry

OK: That is so similar to my experience with Ross at Old Station fly in. Ross must have recognized my Nynja from my postings on the forum and elsewhere, and he called out to me (by name) as I walked past his camp on the flightline there. What followed was a series of very enjoyable encounters with a knowlegeable and charismatic character. I will remember him from that, always. IMHO He was one of Nature's gentlemen.

Gutted! I spent a fair bit of time with Ross at last years Old Station fly in. RIP Ross and all our condolences to his family and close friends. Such an experienced pilot, but we're reminded yet again that the low level turnback can be a killer. Sooo sad.

Anyone know who the pilot is yet? Maj lives up that way ...

Wot he said.Anybody knows that!

'On yer Kev! Life is not a dress rehearsal for something else. Make the most of it.

Andy: No, we don't consider the board to be idiots, but we DO consider CASA to be evil bureaucrats with an intense aversion to risk. The board will likely not GIVE away anything, but I for one am not confident that CASA won't TAKE away some of our privileges if we start to show an increase in incidents/accidents. The situation with the Jabiru powered fleet stands as a stark reminder of how capricious bureaucrats can be. Yes, there are well maintained old airplanes in the GA fleet that would fit into the 750kg category, but they would be in the minority. I believe the weight increase, coupled with lower maintenance and medical requirements would attract a large number of airplanes and owners that maybe shouldn't be flying. Then, the whole recreational fleet would be penalised for the failings of the few. You and I both know that this happens again and again that the many suffer for the misdeeds of the few. This is always the result of bureaucratic and political aversion to risk and also to be seen to be doing something about the latest incident.

Andy:No, we don't consider the board to be idiots, but we DO consider CASA to be evil bureaucrats with an intense aversion to risk. The board will likely not GIVE away anything, but I for one am not confident that CASA won't TAKE away some of our privileges if we start to show an increase in incidents/accidents. The situation with the Jabiru powered fleet stands as a stark reminder of how capricious bureaucrats can be. Yes, there are well maintained old airplanes in the GA fleet that would fit into the 750kg category, but they would be in the minority. I believe the weight increase, coupled with lower maintenance and medical requirements would attract a large number of airplanes and owners that maybe shouldn't be flying. Then, the whole recreational fleet would be penalised for the failings of the few. You and I both know that this happens again and again that the many suffer for the misdeeds of the few. This is always the result of bureaucratic and political aversion to risk and also to be seen to be doing something about the latest incident.

Steve: We have an iPad mini with OzRunways. Flight planning with it is a breeze and it connects to the weather via NAIPS so that you get the winds etc. Also, if you want to, it can file your flight plan for you with Air Services, although I've never tried that. If you buy an iPad for this, get one with at least 32GBytes of memory. Also I would reccommend the mini rather than the full sized iPad. The Nynja will fly at 90 knots, but I always used to do my flight planning at 85 knots to allow for slower speed during the climb or slowing a bit for turbulence. I'm not sure what features ColJones says are missing from OzRunways. It has about three times as many features as I ever use, but then I don't fly GA so there may be stuff that GA pilots need that Rec pilots don't use.

Yup, but you'd be flying backwards!

Agree! RAAus would inherit a fleet of aging aircraft that are uneconomical to maintain under GA regs and would possibly be at greater risk of structural failure because of the less rigid maintenance requirements. That would likely translate into an increased number of accidents and the attendant extra scrutiny from CASA. I have mixed feelings about increasing the MTOW for rec aircraft to 750Kg, but I'm definitely against translating some of the old metal clunkers into our fleet.

Agree! RAAus would inherit a fleet of aging aircraft that are uneconomical to maintain under GA regs and would possibly be at greater risk of structural failure because of the less rigid maintenance requirements. That would likely translate into an increased number of accidents and the attendant extra scrutiny from CASA. I have mixed feelings about increasing the MTOW for rec aircraft to 750Kg, but I'm definitely against translating some of the old metal clunkers into our fleet.

Marty: What you say s quite true in regard to military industrial companis plundering overseas taxpayers. I think it is done by applying political pressure between governments. The companies have an inordinate amount of clout with politicians in the US by virtue of how much money they can throw at the politicians. Interestingly, Dwight Eisenhower warned about the rise of the military industrial influence with politicians in his final speech. Everything he warned of has come to pass, and then some.

Check this out! This video is interactive. You can look around in all directions while its playing. Awesome! I want to know how they did it!

Nah, CASA are fine with people in airplanes ... As long as the airplanes don't leave the ground ... Or start their engines.

Especially if you're inclined to try looping a trike!

So the question remains about "Who is getting the money?". The ongoing whinge we hear from the business sector is that "it's all the employees' fault because we have to pay them too much." But I don't think that accounts for as much markup as we see here in Oz.

G: Wow! That was quick! :-) Thanks for the feedback. I'm not a good enough pilot to know how the Legend rates, so your comments are much appreciated. I'm really glad you enjoyed the flight. Happy to have you aboard.

I would go even further with the sentiment of don't let others dictate what to do. When you are PIC, make your own choices and decisions, no matter how experienced the other pilot is. What is right for them may not be right for you. I followed another pilot into a situation on the basis that he was a very experienced pilot. Everything turned out just fine, but it could have ended in tragedy just as easily. I learned from that, to make my own choices based on my knowledge and experience.

Mike: I know how you are feeling right now. It is the top of the pops to build your own plane and then fly it. You know every nut and bolt and your experience will stand you in good stead and keep you safe in the air. When (if) the time comes and you move to another airplane, you will be so much more involved and knowledgeable about what is good and what is not so good in an airplane. Building the Nynja taught me so much about aircraft ways and techniques. I think that anyone who aspires to own an airplane should build at least one. Anyone who has built their own airplane will be a better maintainer and possibly a better pilot for it.

Luxury! When I were lad we had to play wi ourselves in middle of 'road! Couldn't afford 'ouse, nor window.

No, I think he means businesses that are oriented towards what they do rather than how much profit they make. When I was growing up, shoe companies strived to make better shoes, now they strive to make more profitable shoes. There's a world of difference between the two.

Well isn't that interesting. Just about every ad for every retail business spruiks that they provide all three. And BTW, we customers have as many horror stories about retailers as you do about customers. The difference is, we CAN shop elsewhere if we're badly treated and we DO. It's the golden rule, He with the gold, makes the rules and as customers, we're the ones with the gold.

Shafs: Staying away from the caffein before flying is a good move. Caffein is a diuretic (makes you want to pee) and is imcompatible with long flights unless you're flying something with onboard toilets! Drink water in moderation on any flight to keep yourself hydrated. Dehydration, even in a mild form reduces your mental acuity and reaction time.

Which is a very strong argument for owning your own airplane. It doesn't have to be a million dollar machine, but having your own means that you can choose when to fly and how long to fly for. It also has the advantage that you can go to overnight or multi day fly ins. People who rent out aircraft are reluctant to let you rent them for overnight trips as they lose the availability of the plane for more hours than you will put on it eg, it costs them money.

That IS a seriously sexy design. I'd love to see that on the track!