DAVID SEE

I fly out of a private strip here at home, (Theodore) SEQEB put new mains in along the property boundary, directly across the end of our cross strip. I asked them about putting balls on the lines, they said "we think we might have one in the truck, if we do we'll pop it on for you" about three days later, my wife gets a phone call from one of their offices to say something along the lines that if they put them up, it would be admitting liability if someone ran into them. We've since closed the cross strip...

Thanks Tomo, I can only 2nd. what Ballpoint said. A good little vid. those girls know their stuff. Merry Xmas Tomo and lots of good flying weather for the year ahead. Cheers Davo.

Thanks for the report, I'll be checking mine before my next flight. I have No. 2 Cheers Davo.

Great stuff Glint. It has to be one of the most awesome feelings you can experience. Congratulations mate, keep smiling cause your on top of the world. We can tell by the sound of your writing. Cheers Davo.

It's a while since I posted anything on here, and it's a while since I've done anything worth mentioning, until Thursday just gone. I had arranged to do a few circuits with our local CFI at Balantree aviation, which is in the Wowan area just on 60nm north of here, as I felt some of my landings were not up to what they should be, I hear things like "that's normal in those old tail draggers", and I:chuffed: think 'yeah right, but not four landings off the one approach'. Anyway, blasted off from home about 0550, over to the mates place 4nm to the east, picked him up and on our way, David is his name, and he flies a trike and is starting on three axis, so he's coming up to get some time in too. Pushed a fairly stiff headwind all the way, 70min. later we were on the ground with Myles on his way down from the house, first on the list was the standard cup of coffee, then time to get serious. Myles took Dave up first while the air was reasonable (blowing about 12 / 15kt but expected to worsen later) I sat in his hanger and read the rest of my mag. (sport pilot). They returned after an hour or so then it was debrief followed up with smoko. Sitting at his kitchen table looking out the window at the trees rocking and rolling I was thinking 'maybe I could come back at the weekend and do this' anyway we soldiered on.... back at the hanger, Myles suggested we start on my low level endorsement along with advanced flying techniques. Enjoyed the low level although you really got to be on the ball when you are only a couple of feet off the ground things happen pretty fast. But that's nothing compared to flying from the right seat for the first time. Sure we've all flown from the right seat at some time, but it's usually in someone else's plane and it's no problem because you're up there flying straight or just cruising around, but try flying a circuit and landing....bloody hell that's different....absolutely no problem getting four or maybe even five landings off the one approach then, I didn't count them, I was too busy sweating and trying not to fill my jocks, and doing it in a reasonable cross wind too. In the left seat it's no problem, you just go in and land with one wing low and keeping things straight with your feet, so before we took off I thought 'no big deal, just left hand on the stick instead of the right, boy was I wrong thinking that'. I know probably lots of you out there fly a Lightwing then jump into a Gazelle and it's no different for you, but it sure got my adrenaline pumping. Looked in the logbook and I'm just turning over 500hrs. and it's all been with left throttle and right stick. But now I've had a day to settle my old nerves and I can't wait to get back up there and do it again. Cheers Davo.

Mine came in thisarvo. Our great Australia Post managed to send it from the Rockhampton Mail mail center out to Longreach for a trip around before sending it back to Rockhampton so it could be sorted and sent out here to Theodore, aren't they a clever mob. Cheers Davo.

Still waiting up here........read the Sept. one three times now!!!!!!

Congratulations W68, and thanks for sharing with us all. Cheers Davo:thumb_up:

Hi Freddy. Thanks for the invite, I just might take you up on that. My wife's sister and her husband have a block on aidies road out from the Isis mill, and I go into Childers to visit them. next time I'm going over that way I'll let you know. Cheers Davo.:big_grin:

I fly into and out of (naturally) a lot of private country strips, and you all know how the bum drops out of it when there's a power line to cross on final. Cheers Davo.

That's right BR it goes pretty close to buying a replacement engine when its due, and that's even after dipping into it to pay for all the other things along the way, like tyres, sparkplugs, filters etc.

I was fortunate enough to have had about 40mins. in the FA18 sim at Williamstown many years ago. Man that was like real stuff.

You're right there. It's a wonder they didn't call it a 'cessna ultralight'

When I was doing my training some years ago, my instructor told me that if I was to put $20 aside for every hour I flew then I would always have money there for all the running costs. Things have gone up heaps in price since then, but if you do that it goes a long way towards covering the expenses. i.e.- if you fly three hours over the weekend then put $60 aside....when you've done 500hrs. you will have $5000 sitting there, sure makes it easier Cheers Davo.

EXCLUSIVE SUPPLIER Hi OME. Looking around the threads here I can't find the one I'm after. I saw you had a dvd. called the 'mechanics toolbox' or something similar, if that's correct I'd like one please. can payment be done by credit card? Also chasing a couple of the old style bonnet locks/clips, the ones you push straight in to lock and turn a quarter turn to release. Cheers Davo:help:

Does anyone know of anywhere around Melbourne that trains with Drifters? Hi Darks. Like Tomo says 'just do it'. You've never known a side-slip until you've done one in a drifter, you'll be rapt. Cheers Davo.

Where abouts is Coominya in relation to Toowoomba, Hi Louis, And welcome from me too. Coominya is down the range, past Gatton, past the BP with McDonalds, a couple of miles up you cross a bridge, turn left there. I did my training there, and can't recommend him highly enough. John Walmsley at Coominya Flight Training 0413452547 54264614. Give him a call and say hi. Cheers Davo. PS what Motel? when my wife and I go to Bris. or Gold coast we usually stop for the night in Toowoomba on the way home.

I'm a blacksmith by trade, then started repairing busted earthmoving equipment in the mines back in about 1970, started driving a grader cleaning up around the work area, boss said 'good job, stay on it'. After about 3 or 4 yrs on them I eventually got good enough to be known as a 'grader operator' and have been on them since, most of it was final-trim on freeways, subdivisions, canal estates etc. now semi retired working in the Dawson Mine, still on the graders. Cheers Davo.

Hi Gary, I've had mine to a radiator shop to have the in and out pipes altered to suit the new angle I've set the radiator at. The man told me he had made a few for the 582's that operate out western qld. way and were getting hot when mustering. He made them a little bigger and seemed to solve the problem. he quoted me around $580 to build a new one for me, that might be the way to go, take your old one to a radiator shop and get a price, you may be surprised, it could even be cheaper for you to go that way. Cheers Davo:wave:

Hi Motz. I was at the Maryborough Wings and wheels fly-in a few weeks ago and was talking to a chap (didn't get his name or title) who spent quite some time searching documents through the 'freedom of the press' or what ever its called, and came up with the legal documents that said the airports after being handed from state to council had to be maintained as such for the duration. Don't take this as word perfect, but the gentleman did say that he got the documents into the council or courthouse? only about two or three days before they were going to close the strip, they where not happy but had to abide by the law, and Maryborough is still alive today because of that little epasode. Might be worth a phone call to YMYB that's the QLD. Maryborough. Hope this can help. Cheers Davo.

If ya have a spare 2 minutes, please fill out the form. Thanx guys.... http://scrfc.com.au/save-jaspers-brush-airfield-petition/ Hi Motz. I put it out among the members of the Calide Dawson Flying Group Inc. so should get some feed back from them. Cheers Davo. Secretary C.D.F.G.Inc.:big_grin:

Good on you PF. Just go and do it, the first real trip away I did was a 6.5 hr. run with a fuel stop after 3hrs. Mate i packed the plane then re-packed and then did it again because I was sure I had forgot something, I took my 'Mr. funnel', 2ltr. hyper2 penrite oil (for the 582) set of 'screw in tiedowns' and ropes, (I have tent springs spliced into my ropes), leather brief case used as flight bag with ersa, wacs, vnc and vtc wizz wheel and nav plotter, spare batteries for gps. and phone charger, made all necessary ph. calls then did final check on airservices site for weather and notams, then blasted off. Good trip to fuel point, next leg a bit more interesting when crossing the range between Glenn Innes and Sth. Grafton, was the strongest cross-wind I had ever experienced at the Sth. Grafton strip but all finished well. Mate the only way to learn is to go and do it, listen to the radio and don't be afraid to use it, and don't go anywhere you haven't thought about first, mark out check points on the map and check your times as you go. There are others out there who can give you the sort of info. your looking for, that's just my experience from my first cross country, I have done several since and every one is easier but still requires prior planning. When I got to Grafton I had to buy shaving gear, jocks and socks.....had shirts and jeans in ok. so I did forget something after all. Cheers Davo.