FlyingVizsla

The desire for a weight increase has been on the books for over 20 years. To quote the President's Report (Doug Muir) from 1997 in the AUF Journal Sept Vol 7(9) p.10 - "Some of the main outcomes we are working towards are the introduction of the experimental category, a revised primary and a new intermediate category and an increase in weight to 750kg, 45 knot stall, while retaining the privileges we currently enjoy." He hoped that "manufacturers would be able to produce a new generation of aircraft for the Australian market.". ".. and give us access to much more of the home building market ..". 1997 had a number of letters and articles on 750kg, both for & against and neutral. Letters to the Editor were pretty robust in those days. Nothing new ... just moved on-line ...

ELAAA - the alternative to RAA - intend to cover recreational helicopters, when they get approval from CASA. Might be worth contacting them, they have a facebook presence. They are going for 760kg and ultimately 1,500 kg to take in the RPL market.

Welcome tommieck. Might be best advertised in the Classified forum, it's free, we posted a plane and got a lot of interest. Do you have photos? Probably the first question they'll ask. We have a few friends with Savs, who love them. Hope you stick around and enjoy the site. Sue

BMI is a quick yardstick for AvMed, only useful if they listen to your health carer's assessment - problem is they may not accept the 'pregnant elite lean muscled athlete' explanation. We're getting too 'risk averse' in Govt, too easy to throw the responsibility back on the client to prove there isn't a problem. I work on the theory that if I stay within the 'numbers' they will leave me alone. Some health care people prefer the Hip to Waist ratio, or the fat score, mostly a combination of the above, but the best is personal assessment by a qualified professional. I hadn't heard of the neck measurement before. No doubt there are other measurement systems.

The CSIRO have developed a BMI calculator that takes into account sex age and ethnicity. Weight Loss & BMI Calculator | CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet If you want to lose the weight, the CSIRO proven weight loss diet is available - fully refundable if you make a net loss over the 12 weeks (and other conditions).

Depends where they are .... Commercial rents, insurance, wages, have all gone up. Add to that cross-hire, L2 costs, aircraft maintenance (parts), landing fees, owners / Club / shareholders wanting/needing more dollars for profit, expansion etc. The first ultralight club I was involved with had a volunteer instructor & L2, borrow or BYO plane. Then they got a loan to buy a plane, the instructor wanted paying (only a pittance), the L2 asked too, but settled for an hour free flying for every half hour spent maintaining. Fees went up accordingly. Then they both wanted more, interest rates went up, the Club needed a hangar for the fabric aircraft, more fund raising ... Needed more students, advertised and started getting people from away, L2 & instructor said "we want commercial rates now". Then the drought took a grip, students dried up too, funds accumulated for the new hangar went on site rent, repayments etc until it was all gone and the plane sold. This was 15 years ago. Nothing new. If the market won't bear it, the operation folds. If they don't charge enough to cover day to day plus future & unforeseen (replacement, upgrade, prangs etc) they go bust. Holding off on fee increases gives the impression of a cash grab, gradual small increases seem to be the better strategy.

I have been through a number of years of AUF/RAA elections. There has never been an election with 2,000+ votes. The best return I found was 1993 - 1,240 votes (37%) from a pool of 3,345 members - it was a bit messy - it was noted some member numbers appeared more than once (duplicate voting), some non-financial (you were allowed 6 weeks to get yourself paid up), informal etc. Possibly because of the early enthusiasm and that people were voting for President, Secretary, Treasurer etc. There was pre-election talk of it being "conducted in a less than honest fashion" which was strenuously denied. Letters to the Editor were rather "robust" in those days. One complained his membership was $75, plane $50 and he had to do a BFR! Nothing has changed. A lot of elections were unopposed, meaning more than half the members didn't get to vote each year. 2009 election - 6 positions - 4 unopposed. 1997 - 5 unopposed, only those in South Qld could vote - numbers were not disclosed. 1997 the President was talking about a weight increase to 750kg 1994 - 13 positions - only 3 contested. The election report - Nth Qld 29% voted out of a pool of <200. Sue

I have the old Recreational Aviation Australia magazines (before Sport Pilot). The latest election was held 2008 for 7 positions. Remember, this was Regional Representation - each area voted for their State, Territory or Area Representative. There were 9,240 members (annual report), but no break-up of numbers within each area - however that's about the same number in 2014, where I do have a State break-up. Approx 718 members voted. Lee Ungerman was CEO and Returning Officer. Now, before someone says only 7.7% bothered to vote .... Regional Representation meant that many Did Not Get the Chance to Vote. Only half the Board was up for election. WA & SA reps were not among them (about 1,700 couldn't vote). South Qld, North Qld and Tasmania were all unopposed (another 2,700 couldn't vote). NSW/ACT had 5 candidates for 2 positions 11% voted, Victoria had 4 candidates for 1 position - 19% voted, unfortunately Ian Baker was defeated by Rod Birrell by 61 votes. The anomaly - Northern Territory - about 110 voters, one position, 3 candidates 22% voted - that's 24 votes - Mark Christie won by one vote. Overall half couldn't vote; of those who could, 14.5% voted. RAA Ltd allows all to vote; 925 valid votes were received - another 99 were too late - 14 invalid (incorrectly marked, no membership or lapsed etc) = 1,038 bothered to vote = approx 11% = approx 9.8% valid. So the answer is - About the Same. But more get to vote now. Sue

The result has been announced: The count of votes in the RAAus 2017 Board Election took place on 16 August 2017. Max Brown was the independent scrutineer. A total of 1038 ballots were lodged, of which 925 were valid. Invalid votes comprised 99 ballots that were postmarked after the closing date of 4 August, and a further 14 ballots were deemed invalid. Two candidates were selected by 867 voters (1734 votes) and one candidate was selected by 58 voters (58 votes) for a combined 1792 votes cast. With two positions available on the Board, Mick Monck and Alan Middleton were elected. Mick Monck is a serving Board Member and his term will continue for a further three years. Alan Middleton will also serve a three year term and will take office after the forthcoming AGM being held on 23 September 2017. Congratulations to Mike & Alan. 99 ballots post marked after the closing date (presumably because the magazine was delivered late) - Australia Post has some questions to answer - I hope RAA lodge a complaint with AP and postal ombudsman.

That lovely boy died a few years ago. Would love another, but my husband won't let me. His first wife came home with a stray and told him it was staying, however he could leave if he didn't like it. A few years later she died and he was terribly cut up when the dog died a couple of years after. He couldn't handle another. I am very used to the cycle of farm life with dogs coming and going, that's life, and I get over it fairly quickly. If you have any unwanted Hungarian Vizslak - I'll take one - idyllic farm life, cosy house, human to cling to - they are not called the "Velcro Dog" for nothing as you would know. When I was at Longreach I was often mistaken for the Flying Nun. There's probably a few holiday snaps with me notated as Sister Ann-Marie. Guess they looked at me, the only woman, alone, near a plane, small, slight, long hair, in a dress and decided I had to be a Catholic nun.

Hi Gary, Welcome to the mad house! What did you build & how did it go? I am a member of EAA and take an interest in the Home Builder side of things. My husband has also built. Very satisfying, if not frustrating at times, but a great thing to do. Sue

Hi Paul - Welcome! I had a quick look at the BK Sports plan Specs - my first thoughts are that the pilot weight isn't much - 113kg (fully clothed + gadgets etc) isn't much for what is now becoming the "average" Aussie male. I would avoid the hand-start option - dangerous and you need two people - one to swing and the other for brakes and throttle - bit of a downer if it is a single seat and he can't come with you. Check with RAA to see if it has been accepted. My husband built a RANS and finished just before we married - I was intending to build a plane myself, once I got settled - I had one of those jobs that took me all over the place - 10 years later he still thinks it's the best. Not saying you should go that way, but the RANS S7 was easy to put together (like a big mechano set he said) and avoids the pitfalls of plans build, where you have to source materials, cut and construct (been there ... amazing the mistakes on some plans ... ) Engine reliability and life are also considerations. If you just want to do cheap local flights for fun, then the single seat Karasport is his choice. Ours can be dismantled (needs two people) and kept in an enclosed trailer. Your best option is to talk to as many people and try as many aircraft as you can. Hope you find your dream bird. Sue

Welcome Mike, Do you fly? Interested in any particular type of aviation? Sue

Got our magazines today. The voting process (opening, closing, method of voting etc) is rather vague. From the Constitution of RAA Ltd:- 34.4 ..... Any voting method employed for the purpose of electing Directors shall be consistent with those methods accepted by the Australian Electoral Commission or an equivalent body. The AEC does not have any guidelines on their website, so there's no indication of the "accepted" methods. As for "conflict of interest" - the early Board members were almost all men who ran Flying Schools. The 5 candidates have statements regarding their business interests in aviation:- It appears only 2 derive income from aviation businesses - NEEL KHOKHANI as CEO of Soar Aviation/Soar Advanced Flight Training, and ALAN MIDDLETON as the Chairperson of Directors at Bluewater Airport in Townsville and an active RAAus flying instructor. They are 5 good candidates. It makes the decision harder.

From his blog:- Weʼre raising funds to help pay for Colin’s medical expenses in Japan Update 14th July You will have heard about the tragic fate of Colin’s aircraft, Itzy. Very sadly for Colin Itzy suffered engine failure and he had to make a forced landing on a golf course in Aioi, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Colin was extremely fortunate to walk away from the accident, but has since discovered he has broken his back in three places. He was air-lifted from the scene and is now in the emergency ward of the hospital. He is not allowed to move from the bed as there is a risk that he could damage his spinal nerve, until he has surgery. He faces a very large medical bill, and at first was refusing treatment as he doesn’t have the money. His friends and family have made sure surgery will go ahead in Japan. There is no price for a life. The bill will likely be around $30,000, so I am hoping that between us we can raise a little something to help his family with this expense. I know many of you will have been lucky enough to have met Colin during his round the world trip. He rarely asks for help and is fiercely independent and proud. I know many have wanted to help him before now with the journey and he never accepts, but I think this time he is in need of the help of all those wonderful friends he has made around the world. Click here to donate and support Colin: Help raise £20000 to Help pay for Colin's medical expenses in Japan __________________________ Update Wow! We have smashed the Just Giving target in less than a day, we are so eternally grateful to everyone's kind words and donations. Let's keep going! I have just spoken to Colin (he wasn't too angry with me) and he has said that any extra raised that he doesn't need will go to charity. This is very typical of Colin, always thinking of others. He will also thank each and every one of you when he is recovered. He is being well looked after, but is in a lot of pain and understandably is feeling very emotional. He has one cracked vertebrae, one damaged and one lumbar vertebrae split in two. He will be having surgery next week, but in the meantime he is in a body cast and is in the emergency ward, unable to move very much. Thanks, Zanna McKail __________________________ This accident was just after waiting 7 months for approvals for forward flight through Japan and Asia. Perhaps the engine was sitting for too long? Also had atrocious weather while waiting - massive rain.

For my plane, I do mine through a LAME as part of my maintenance - I'm NVFR etc. RAA outside CTA, I suspect pilots do check their airspeed & altitude against their GPS, but don't put it in their aircraft log books. A manometer is easy to construct and the maths just a little more complicated. A reminder to write it in the log book.

There's three weight increases with CASA. RAA have been promised 750kg, ELAAA have asked for 760kg and 1,500kg is the ultimate (for now). RAA are putting 1,500kg on the back burner because of the huge questions on maintenance, registration etc (and I'm not sure they really want it) and going for CTA first. For ELAAA it will bring them a larger clientele in fixed wing and non commercial helicopters. I suspect CASA would love to shuffle the responsibility for RPL aircraft to someone else and pay them minimal compensation.

Welcome aboard Ash, What sort of aviation are you interested in? Sue

I have known FIFO/DIDO miners who wanted to commute in their own aircraft and land at the Mine's private strip. Most Mines said No, on the basis of either security (not having to go through the gate house - drug & alcohol testing), liability (uncontrolled private ops on their strip), fatigue (you can sleep on the bus, at the camp or at the terminal, but not piloting a plane), beyond imagination (just didn't understand - so better to say NO). There was a guy who crashed just out of Roma flying his aircraft to work at a northern mine, weather related, if I remember. Commuting like this has an element of "Push-on-itis" and "I've done this a hundred times ..." and "this weather usually clears ... " Because of the speed of flying, Plan B (the car) is usually not a comparable option, so the prudent pilot is left to ring with apologies that he's going to be 4 hrs late, won't be home tonight etc.

In the lower latitudes you need a Night licence for the shorter days - take off before dawn and return after dark. Also handy to have a car at each end. Particularly if there is a problem and you need to drive home or to work. Plan B! If you think it is going to work out, then see if the Council / Airstrip operator offers an annual landing charge, rather than a per use basis; saves paying Avdata every month. I would be making a contribution if there was no landing fee; if I was landing on a regular basis, particularly as I would not be a rate payer or Aero Club member, hangar owner etc. Keeps everything sweet. I did a short commute at my expense for a short term assignment in a remote area, but I had camp accommodation when ever I wanted it and the strips were less than a 1km from each, but my NVFR was essential for morning & evening flights - we worked 12 hours - so you must watch fatigue. I wouldn't have relied on it for a longer period or for longer distance.

Investigation started Investigation: AO-2017-062 - Collision with terrain involving a FU24 Stallion, VH-EUO, Upper Turon NSW, on 16 June 2017 FU24 Stallion, VH-EUO, Upper Turon NSW, on 16 June 2017

True Constitution RAA Issue 12 Sept 2012. 15. Treasurer. ... (iv) The Treasurer shall produce a financial statement of accounts twice yearly and publish to the membership, the first occasion being not more than 30 days after the end of financial year, thereafter 6 months later. Constitution of RAA Ltd (published 27/7/2016) 20.3 Before or at the Annual General Meeting, the Directors must, in accordance with law, make available information to the Members on the Company’s activities and finances during the period since the last Annual General Meeting. Prior to July 2016, members were to get 6 monthly statements, after July 2016 it was Annual only. However, that 6 monthly was pretty hit or miss, depending on who was Treasurer. RAA had one Treasurer who didn't know the difference between profit / loss and was described as "staring like a rabbit in the headlights" when asked questions at the AGM. Large cash reserves were earning peanuts. Questions like "how much does the magazine cost" were a bridge too far. Income & expenditure was poorly dissected. Like him or loath him, a certain President who resigned and tried to come back, did push better recording of finances. The stand out Treasurer, for me, was Jim Tatlock. He came on board during a period of crisis - he settled the recording of finances into better categories to answer the questions of "how much did x cost, earn" and published profit & loss MONTHLY until things settled down. I only wished he could have continued, but he had more pressing issues and he had done the lion's share and put RAA on a good footing and given the membership better data to work with. He is a champion in my books. One day I hope to meet him, as I only know him by reputation. Waiting 12 months is a bit long, but looking at the size of the Annual Report (against previous), it is worth it. Takes you 12 months to read ... Sue

In reply to most of the questions - log into your RAA member portal. It tells me today there are:- 9625 members 3256 aircraft Go to Governance - Meetings A list of all resolutions - who voted for/against/abstained (you can use that info when deciding who to vote for .... ) Minutes of the most recent AGM Go to Governance - Reports The last Annual Report (includes the financial statement) The Annual Financial statement The Annual Report is a good read (but it's 12MB). There's a lot of statistics. Women are still only 3% or so of members (there's an opportunity!), the number of new Certificates issued is impressive, the average age of Pilots is coming down (older ones retiring, new ones starting earlier?). There's pages of reports. The year ends 30 June, so there will be another round of Annual Reports due soon. Financials - This shows good reserves, however the cost each year of running the show exceeds the revenue coming in. Either the revenue increases to cover it, or some functions / services are cut; or they continue to eat into the Reserves until there's nothing left. I support the increase, because the big expenditure item - the printed magazine - is obviously wanted by a proportion of members. Insurances went up 13%. That about accounts for the deficit. Happy to answer any questions from the Annual Financial Report, for those who are confused by Financial Statements, however I don't have any inside information. Sue

ATSB preliminary report Investigation: AO-2017-061 - Collision with terrain involving Cessna 172, VH-FYN, 12 km WNW of Ballina, NSW, on 16 June 2017 Collision with terrain involving Cessna 172, VH-FYN, 12 km WNW of Ballina, NSW, on 16 June 2017 Early news reports said it was a helicopter - perhaps this picture lent credence to that assumption?

There's an option to do 2 years membership at the old price - just did that - so the price rise won't affect us until 2019. I guess insurance (included in pilot membership) is rising faster than inflation. The single seat fleet is about 250 (out of 3,500) and been on the register for ages, so at half the 2 seater ($25 increase = $12.50/pa) that equates to about $3,000 they have foregone, but very few of them need "looking at" compared with new 2 seater models & kits coming into Australia. Compare that with car rego - mine went up over 10% in 4 years - $50 in one year.