Owi

Too right! When I started out, on my tenth lesson, I had a new instructor who, although a friendly chap, just kept on yapping about a whole bunch of things about what was going on including warning me of planes that could just crash into you on the taxi ramp! All this while the weather was marginal and the crosswind was probably near the aircraft limits. Well, being such a newbie and struggling to absorb all of this info, I just freaked out and this lesson in circuits (cut very short due my stress) was the worst ever for me. I quit that school not long after. To me, everybody has their own ideas of what they see as a good instructor. Some like a strong but fair disciplinarian, others like their instructors to be relaxed, bordering on slack (that could be bad for some). It goes without saying that there are some behaviours that should not be tolerated from instructors, like berating/belittling or physical admonishment. Each to their own, though. Cheers,

Don't forget the Cessna Corvalis is a low-winger too, which this one looks a lot like.

Thanks, Mal. That looks to be a good website. Are the watches genuine or high-quality replica? I'm a huge fan of Seiko and Omega myself. Omega I can't afford, but I've owned only two Seiko's for the past 30 years. The first one I had for about 20 years (can't remember the model). It eventually broke down and was not economically repairable, even to the agents, so they offered me a huge discount on a then current model. I've had that, a "The Great Blue" chronograph model for the past ten years. Although not quite as tough as the first, it's still keeping near-perfect time. Methinks it's time to consider adding a third Seiko to my collection. Maybe this time one of those pilot watches from the site you've kindly pointed us at. Cheers,

Apparently, these are actual comments made by South Carolina Troopers that were taken off their car videos: 1. "You know, stop lights don't come any redder than the one you just went through." 2. "Relax, the handcuffs are tight because they're new. They'll stretch after you wear them a while." 3. "If you take your hands off the car, I'll make your birth certificate a worthless document." 4. "If you run, you'll only go to jail tired." 5. "Can you run faster than 1200 feet per second? Because that's the speed of the bullet that'll be chasing you." 6. "You don't know how fast you were going? I guess that means I can write anything I want to on the ticket, huh?" 7. "Yes, sir, you can talk to the shift supervisor, but I don't think it will help. Oh, did I mention that I'm the shift supervisor?" 8. "Warning! You want a warning? O.K, I'm warning you not to do that again or I'll give you another ticket." 9. "The answer to this last question will determine whether you are drunk or not. Was Mickey Mouse a cat or a dog?" 10. "Fair? You want me to be fair? Listen, fair is a place where you go to ride on rides, eat cotton candy and corn dogs and step in monkey poop." 11. "Yeah, we have a quota. Two more tickets and my wife gets a toaster oven." 12. "In God we trust; all others we run through NCIC." (National Crime Information Centre) 13. "Just how big were those 'two beers' you say you had?" 14. "No sir, we don't have quotas anymore. We used to, but now we're allowed to write as many tickets as we can." 15. "I'm glad to hear that the Chief (of Police) is a personal friend of yours. So you know someone who can post your bail." AND THE WINNER IS.... 16. "You didn't think we give pretty women tickets? You're right, we don't. Sign here." Can any Aussie cops beat those?

Thanks, Donald. That was a fascinating series of videos. Your dad clearly had a passion for aviation and it showed all the way.

I just tried to make a video of my flight for the first time in a long time. I used my Panasonic DMC-TZ7 (a compact) for the first time and I was pleasantly surprised with the result - the props actually appeared natural in flight. It was set to Motion JPEG recording mode (MP4), but I was unaware that it had a fairly short time limit in that mode so I only managed to get 11mins recording . So, next time I fly I'm going to try it again in AVCHD mode, which I've tested will give me about 2hrs worth of recording, battery permitting. Cheers,

Fantastic videos! Thank you. I think these are invaluable real-world lessons to learn from. Glad no-one was hurt.

Very interesting thread this. Thanks, Dave, for the great insight. I flew on a business trip to Auckland from Sydney recently (my first trip to NZ) and the scheduled flight time was 3hrs 15mins. Nice. Actually - we arrived so early, there wasn't even enough time to finish the one in-flight movie which I started as soon as the seat-belt signs went off. Minor annoyance but I was quite confused. I kept thinking they must be arriving at the wrong island, etc. The actual flight time was 2hrs 15mins - a whole hour early! The bigger problem for me was that I had to wait more than that hour for my host (whom I had never met nor seen before) to collect me from the airport. He had timed his arrival based on the scheduled time plus a little more for me to clear passport control and customs. So, this thread has certainly shed some light on the dynamics of scheduled airline times. Thanks!

I'm not an expert at photography but an enthusiast - I guess I'd be termed a prosumer. I used to toe my family's "tradition" of buying only Olympus, but for a long time I sensed that they're not as "with it" as Canon or Nikon and I may be missing out on something. After years of keeping my ear to the ground and - once I decided I would take the plunge and invest in my first DSLR - after many weeks of active research I eventually settled on the Nikon D5100 and I have to say, I'm pretty chuffed with it. I have taken many excellent photos and tons more that aren't so great but it suits me fine and I'll probably stick with Nikon for my photographic equipment for a while. But that's just me - there are many good camera equipment review sites out there such as "DPReview" and "Steve's Digicams". I'd suggest you work out what's important to you and your budget and then trawl the internet checking and comparing the reviews until you narrow it down to the point you need. Then, once you know which camera it is you want, you go hunting for the best price (bundles are better priced). Good luck and happy shopping.

Ya mean "Chic-chic-boom!".

It depends on the model Jab, but, having flown C152 first then J170, I'd say it's a bit easier to handle and I felt more confident in it's capabilities. It's lighter, thanks to the composite materials used in construction. Also, being a newer design, it's like the difference between a 70's car and most recent year models. There's a lot of differences but some may prefer flying the older types to the newer ones. Each to their own. Cheers,

Ah, what memories. The Western Cape sure has some of the greatest landscape scenery in Southern Africa. Nice video.

Nice video, mate. Looks like you had a really nice (and rare) clear air night there. It's usually so smoggy or musky.

Stupidity.

In a word - cost. By the way, the fancier, more expensive alloy or carbon fibre props are also susceptible to stone damage but are more durable. Cheers,

Okay, I see what you're saying, mate. However, I've seen and read from plenty of sources how to do a handbrake turn in a car. Do you think I've tried it on a public road? Each to their own.

Oops! Perhaps I should've checked for duplicate threads and read over them first... Agree with a lot of sentiments expressed but they all depend on what really transpired in the beginning. Regardless of any implied lack of up front planning, considerations, etc. on his part, my opinion is simply that it's good that the pilot and his passenger made it back to terra-firma safely. Cheers,

Wow! Thanks, Ultralights, that was a most useful and informative video. I'm usually pretty nervous about doing stuff like that (I even get highly anxious when practicing stalls) but this video shows me that spins can even be fun. Recoverable with the appropriate corrective inputs.

Good on him, mates! A great outcome. But, by the amount of attention they received, it seems that it was a quiet news day.

G'day mate, Nice video thanks for posting. Rylstone sure looks like a nice airfield and lots of potential for improvement (clearly demarcated parking areas?). One thing I noticed about your calls - and I don't know if it was a recording problem or not - you didn't broadcast that you're clear of the runway after rolling off. Cheers,

Thanks for that, mate. From my experience as a student, I tend to take these US based courses with a grain of salt - they are designed around US aviation users and around their regulations and systems of measurement, not Australia's. Trouble is - there are some subtle differences that could be confused when it comes to exam time. Perhaps when I am qualified and more experienced, I'll be able to differentiate better. Cheers,

Excellent initiative, Ian! Welcome to Carol and Steve. I'll be looking out for stuff to add to your threads, too.

Yeah, yeah. I understand where you're coming from, Winsor, mate. My apologies to those who come from even further afield. However, having seen over time what flying facilities are available in VIC and QLD, I wish I live in either of those two states.

I didn't go mainly because of last year's poor show - I couldn't see enough reason to drive all the way from Sydney to waste a whole long weekend and some money when it was borderline boring last time. Aside from the cool aerobatic show and some nice displays last year, I was really looking for TIFs, but there were none to be found. Whatever happened to the idea of encouraging people to get in a plane and have a flight? Just for the thrill of it or, perhaps it may even inspire someone to start a career in aviation.

C'est magnifique, mate!