flightygirl

I encourage any discussion on the value of debriefing and counselling following a traumatic event. I know you guys will remain strong and that you can draw on each other for strength when it gets a bit tough. My thoughts are with you all. You know where I am if you need anything. Rach.

i enjoyed it.. though am disappointed that i missed meeting so many forumers who were there. as i didnt get in till friday afternoon i missed the coffee... definitely think saturday is the better day for that.

sounds great! we called into jaspers and also the aviator lounge for a coffee last weekend, on our way back from a week at sussex inlet, but you were probably aviating somewhere. look forward to catching up again before too long.Alan

Just for comparison of course..here is a Lightwing grin...............same ugly barstxxx.........snapped by daughter..................................................Maj...

hey! thats Me!

hi Kaz

our savvy has great range... 6 hours before she goes quiet. also.. we plan to have a ground crew...so we can carry as little as possible and can have fuel at hand when needed. But even without the ground crew we would be fine in the SAvvy. we are still in the early days of planning... the next few weeks we will post a full itinerary... and hope that anyone out there who is interested canmeet us along the way.... or come along for the whole trip. it will be an amazing journey. I have had quite a few practice goes flying out to Lightning Ridge and Brewarrina... and i know the terrain gets even more bland but ive had good practice flying those long distances. The Savvy is pretty surprisingly comfortable on a long haul. and the great thing is that out there... we can just pop down anywhere pretty much for a break if we needed to! the priority in the plane will be all the emergency equipment i can find... and plenty of water.

its a shame you couldnt come along this trip... but we intend to make many many more...

Rach

the secret to being seen in the air is contrast! as long as the colours contrast well against each other, they will be easy to see, our savvy is easy to spot from a distance mainly by the dark blue colouring on the wing tips and nose contrasts well against the white.

i always have the savvy grin!

Rach

With videos from the wing-tips, photo's from the box office, etc; you can guarantee they'll be very special, as they always are.Good luck with your planning guys. Can't wait to see the results. ( Lucky Buggers)

hope you are well. think its time for a catchup! its my turn to take you up in the savvy now!

lets do it soon!

Rach

Whatever happens with this you have to put photos on this thread after it's all done!

hey Rachel, any update on outback trip? you can email me on [email protected] also. cheers Matt

we are planning to head out to Uluru at the end of May. Plan is to take 2 weeks, there and back. flying via broken hill, coober pedy and on to uluru. obviously with other stops along the way yet to be worked out. we will be flying from YWOL. would love to hear your thoughts... all company on this trip welcome! my email is [email protected]

Rach

After all the BOM stuff up you had to take Rex, then i fly you around Bathurst for awhile.. wasnt a bad day... im sure you will get another chance for a Nav to YBTH, make it a couple of days and we can be host..

thanks everyone!

my first nav is going to be Bathurst this thursday weather being good.

aaaagghhhh....butterflies just thinking about it!!!

Congratulations Rach, well done!I've been trying to find out the (average) time cross country takes.... one CFI said a flat 12 hours but another I asked was kinda vague on it.

Good onya Rach.. You did well mate. Love that watch. The watch is your friend..lol

well... i did it guys and gals.... i was given my cross country endorsement yesterday! yay! now i can fly anywhere i want! the endorsement didnt come without some hard work and fast learning... and a few big boo boo's along the way... but i got there in the end! still have lots more to learn, but now i am free from the pressure of testing i can take my time and just keep on flying.

biggest thanks in the world to Ultralights and Motzartmerv.... you have both been amazing instructors and i feel confident now that i will be able to handle anything up there. Thanks Rob (ultralights) for all the patience you showed me... and tolerating my little outbursts when it all got too hard. Also a big thanks to Bruce and Ned... your wisdom and free impromptu theory lessons were invaluable!

so keep an eye out for the awesome blue and yellow savannah people.... big blue skies here i come!

Rach

hey thanks Destiny! thats very helpful.

can anyone give me any information about whats available at Maitland Airstrip?

i am needing to fly there to meet a client, so am wondering if there is a flying school with classrooms or a room i could hire for an hour or so. any help or advice would be much appreciated.

also general info on parking, strip condition etc.

thanks

Rach

i recall making some very "blonde" comments during my test... and i still managed to pass... was nerve wracking though!

well done and welcome to the 25 nm club!

we are thinking of coming up... will see how weather is closer to the time. fingers crossed it will be clear skies!

Hi Rach and Rob.Just to let you guys Know.If you leave Ballina and get stuck with weather on the Gold Coast, Hecks field or Murwillumba, you can always stay here.Ph- 0413200506

We are only going as far as Ballina this time round... just up here for work today... head back to sydney tomorrow then off to Orange next week. We think we might then head out west to wherever the wind takes us.

Will try for Qld another time when there is less water about.

Rach

i know of a cheaper alternative to plastic balls, i see them everywhere in suburbia, just go to the tip and collect hundreds of pairs of old sneakers and swing them up there..

nothing wrong with slow, we just arrived at Ballina, from wollongong, indicating 85 kts all the way at 5100 rpm, and ground speeds varying from 75 to 110 Kts! no higher than 1500 ft... as for approach speeds, anywhere from 60 kts no flap, 45 to 50 kts with 1 stage of flap to 35 with full flap.

as for actual stall speed with full flap, thats a bit harder to define as the position error of the Pitot tube at such high AOA it can read 30ish, usually 27 to 28 in a pretty level stall, but can read 0 kts if the nose is high.

the "step"" comes at about 80 kts, you can cruse at 80 kts with 5100 rpm all day,nose reasonably level, but if you give it a bit more, say to 5300 rpm, then the tail will lift, AOA will decrease and speed will increase to 90 kts, pull power back to 5100 and it will cruise at 85 to 87 at 5100 on the step so to speak. the higher speed at 85 creates more lift than 80, so the wing setlles on a lower AOA, hence the "step"feeling.

and i have seen 3 savannah VG wides in my travels so far, well, since April this year.

Hi Rach,Well as you probably know not good flying weather, bloody wet up here, about too go for a drive to see if lismore is flooding yet.

If you need to know anything ph.02-66224371

still haven't left the ground yet. looks like it will be a Qantaslink flight for me on Wednesday. I still have to be in Ballina on Friday... so will keep an eye on the weather and if it clears will fly up in the savvy on thursday.

let us know what you find in Lismore!

Rach

Hi Rach,The weather has been pretty grim up here, like 2-3 days of wet to one day fine.

forcast for xmas period wet wet wet. Cheers Guy

im still hoping that it will clear but i know its not looking good. i'd much rather fly my own plane than fly with Rex or Qantaslink.

this weather is just not cooperating!

Rach

hi all.

our trip after xmas has now changed to Lake Keepit, Armidale and Lismore due to my work commitments. We are planning on being in Lismore or nearby for NYE and are hoping to share the fun with Forumers! If any of you are up that way and are having a NYE party we could crash we'd love to hear from you!

Rach:big_grin: