XC-Buzzard

Cost-of-Recovery is never considered by the business experts in local government.Try this example: Pilot 'Smith' incurs landing fee of $11, which requires an invoice to be raised and sent by snail mail, email or text - if they can identify the owner. Then, a 'reminder' is sent again the following month. Then, the 3rd invoice contains a threat of legal recovery. I know that it probably costs $20+ to raise and send an invoice, even in a super efficient organisation - which most airport owners are not! So, after 3 months, pilot 'Smith' pays the account. The airport owner loses money on the exercise, and for what reason? They refuse to even consider the cost.

 

Folks, it's all about showing those fat cat aircraft owners that they can't use up our airport! It's plain, straight green eyed envy of the kind that seems to drive many political decisions these days.

 

happy days,

Then the fees drive pilots and Aviation activities away , next step then is they use the dwindling usage figures to there advantage , to sell their agenda to the rate payers that it would not be such a loss if it was sold to Developers , turning it into a so called gain for the Council .. just you watch

 

 

Welcome to the site nsialan9. Hope to hear of your exploits

 

 

This photo of AirVenture is a little deceptive in the negative I would say from someone that did attend all three days . If this pic was taken on the Saturday , then it must of been in the morning , because by midday before the actual Airshow (display ) by an hour or so before hand the public started to arrive and pour through the gates for the afternoon attraction.. The fence line running down the length of the runway was very crowded. And it doesn't show the camping ground for the fly in pilots , or any of the car parking paddocks either .. take it from me , Saturday afternoon was a completely different picture than this..

 

 

A local HGFA trike owner does his own inspection and it is co-signed by his mate (aircraft owner/builder with good 582 knowledge )who goes over and double checks the owners inspection.I'm not sure if that is the general rule or there are no suitably qualified people in this area to do it.

Yes that sounds like a more sensible arangement for inspections , its the way I remember doing years ago when I was still a HGFA member , it worked just fine for 10 yrs with no problems.. especially if your in an isolated area .. Lance

 

 

Have you checked all the "other " factors like insurance etc? I have no view either way and the letter from your HGF rep seems reasonable in every way to me.. . Nev

I'm sorry Nev , little confused with your reply, which letter from my HGFA rep are you referring to mate . Lance

 

 

I received some good advice from members here on this thread about this debate, thank you.. But now I have another spanner to throw into the works on this subject whilst attending AirVenture last week, I was informed that RAA don't require a bi annual aircraft ( Microlight ) Rego inspection , unlike the HGFA.. So this , if is the case, will also effect the bottom line of who is the more economical choice, eg the fee charged for an inspection every second year must be taken into account,even if HGFA rego cost is more attractive than the dearer RAA Rego, factor in this cost (?) what ever it is , it will likely raise the $22 a year advantage the HGFA seem to have up more inline with the $160 a year Rego RAA charge. Let alone the added travel costs Bienially. Then that just leaves the difference in Membership right ? Dissapointing news for me, as the figures originally had me leaning in favour of keeping the Trike with HGFA

 

 

Microlight.

Unfortunately There's always someone willing to apply Red Tape to things these days .. that's all the information I gleemed from the Members Forums / Meet the Team on Thursday sorry.. I certainly enjoyed the Fly Inn regardless, and completed my BFR on Friday while there

 

 

Thursday was raining until early afternoon but the day ended up being quite pleasant. There would have been around 100 cars in the car park and very few people wandering around amongst the exhibits.Yesterday was a very nice day and visitor numbers were up a bit on Thursday but visitors numbers still seemed low to me.

 

Today was a great day and numbers were certainly up on the last 2 days. I had to leave at around midday but there were probably a couple of hundred cars in the car park and definitely more visiting aircraft, albeit still quite low numbers to me. I counted 21 aircraft in the camping area so numbers of camp under the wing attendees was quite low.

 

I attended a few of the forums including meet the RAAus team. There were 4 of us that attended that forum. In general, attendance at the forums was quite low but probably in line with general attendance numbers.

 

To me, it seemed well organised so credit to the RAAus team for that. Unfortunately, the numbers were probably a little disappointing. That said, the exhibitors that I spoke to felt that it was a success and got good interaction with potential customers.

 

It was a nice and pleasant venue. My suggestions for next year is to provide some tables at the eating outlets where visitors can sit down and meet others. I found at Oshkosh that the dining tables at the food outlets was a great forced way of meeting and interacting with others. Also, it’s a pain having to eat standing up or sitting on the grass. Some tables would have been nice.

 

As a visitor, next year, I will take my own chair and sunshade to relax in/under. And yes, I would go back next year although I’d really like to see the RAAus and SAAA get together for their fly-in’s. It would create a larger event, halve the cost to run a fly-in for each organisation, and halve the cost for the exhibitors who would otherwise attend both fly-ins.

 

At the meet the team forum, I asked Michael Linke about the relationship between the management of RAAus and the SAAA and he advised that the new management of the SAAA was difficult to deal with. As a member of both organisations, this is very disappointing to me as a know that the previous SAAA management were building some very good bridges with RAAus. At Narromine, I shall raise this issue at one of the forums with SAAA management to find out why two organisations with essentially the same objectives cannot have a synergy that helps both organisations and their members.

 

Sorry, no photos.

I remember your Question about the relationship between Saaa and Raa cos I was one of the Six attendees on the Thursday morn meet the team Forum. But numbers did improve over the next two days.. I also had the same thoughts about the non table seating available, I was prepared though with my own chairs n umbrella on the Saturday for the Airshow though.. One good thing for the Kids was the rides and entertainment area, they had a ball with the one $15 charge for Unlimited rides all day.. Myself personally was disappointed that there was no Venders with parts , hardware , Tools, nick naks etc .. The growing abscence of our roots rag n tube , parra , home built , Amateurs . I didn't hear of any judging results announced of aircraft that flew in.. nor do you get to see the aircraft awarded the flyin parking area was far to far away almost hidden away from the public eye.

 

 

Yes I agree that the introduction of a parking fee was a surprise to me on arrival Thursday , but only had to pay on Friday and Saturday . It was a last minute demand by the council, claiming that the land was now being used for another purpose beyond its rural listing, it then needed a Development Application in place for its new use. Thus a Cost of $18,000 was demanded.. hence the parking fee was introduced. Lions Club and Mens shed members donated their help running it ..

 

 

Just checked with the cheese n kisses... We think it was in the order of $4,500.

Told you it wasn't cheap! :-)

No you weren't wrong Scott, and it wasn't a closed in trailer design. But I did like the design abc finished product , it must of been a breeze to tow and use ..

 

 

It wasn't cheap...that much I remember. I'll see if I can find the receipts.

Good onya thanks mate, just a ball park figure will do if you like ? Do you still have it ??

 

 

As it stands now, the council is taking a lot of flack for rate rises and perceived mismanagement of funds, so I am sure they don’t need any more negative news. I might just remind them that there is an easy and a hard way of getting things done :)I don’t have any issues with anyone at the city or on the council, it is just one hard headed person in charge of making airport descisions who is the spanner in the works. Hopefully sanity will prevail.

Oh my goodness Cali, you'd think as a hanger owner and rate payer twice over , that would provide you with some rights of access to the Airport, no matter the aircraft you choose. Especially in non controlled airspace , RPT , Emergency aircraft , charter , commercial , or private n recreational Aviators are all created equal ..

 

 

Hi there.Is there anyone here that flies out of a non controlled aerodrome where there are RPT flights on a daily base?

Cheers

 

Cali

Yes I do Cali, why do you ask ??

 

 

Hi All:I thought I'd start a thread for ideas for trike trailers. I'm currently having one built and got ideas from several sources. I thought this would be a good place to share your ideas on what makes a good trike trailer.

 

I'll start with some of my ideas.

 

Fisrtly, weight. The lighter the trailer, the less fuel it takes to haul and the less tyre wear.

 

Secondly, I decided to have a full deck on the trailer and in keeping with the first goal, I decided to have an aluminium deck of the sort that they have on tray-back utilities.

 

Third, Wing racks. I chose to have the wing mounted on the trailer rather than the vehicle as it makes the trike transport self contained. If I take the trike on holiday and I want to go to the shops or out to eat, I don't want to be lugging the wing with me. Also, the added cost of racking on the trailer is less than and more asthetic than the racking on the vehicle. Finally, if the wing rack was on the vehicle, I'd probably leave it on even when I'm not trailering the trike and those things are pretty ugly on a vehicle.

 

Fourth, Tilt. I decided to go for a tilting trailer rather than ramps. The tilt doesn't add as much weight as carrying a set of ramps and is quicker and easier for getting the trike on and off the trailer.

 

Fifth, Winch. I decided to have a winch to get the trike on and off the trailer. Having the winch means not having to heave the trike on and off manually. Whenever you're heaving the trike around, there's the possibility of hurting someone or the trike.

 

Sixth, Wheels enclosed withing the deck perimeter. My brother-in-law says that he occasionally drags his trailer mudguards against things and suggested this solution. Also given that my trailer is 6 metres long and has a big turning circle, this is even more likely to happen.

 

Seventh, The trailer extends past the prop in the back. This might save a busted prop if I back into something.

 

Eighth, Stone deflector at the front. This is a simple and useful addition to protect my investment from rocks and stones thrown up by the towing vehicle.

 

Ninth, Open top. I decided not to go for an enclosed trailer for a couple of reasons; weight and ease of access. Also an enclosed trailer would require the wing to be carried much higher than I plan to carry it.

 

Tenth, Construction simplicity. The chassis design of my trailer is a very simple rectangular shape. The decking is just planks cut to length and bolted to the chassis. This helps to keep the cost and weight down.

 

Eleventh, Trike contained within trailer outlines. If I drag the trailer against something, I would prefer that the trailer cop the hit rather than the trike, so the trike sits completely within the boundaries of the trailer.

 

Here's some pics of my trailer chassis and the design model that I drew. I have this as a Solid Edge V19 file if anyone wants a copy, just PM me.

I know this was sometime ago now Scott , and your probably onto your next trailer by now , but what was the cost of the Red Rocket mate ? Materials and labour seperate if you like , Scott . Thanks mate

 

 

Hi All:I thought I'd start a thread for ideas for trike trailers. I'm currently having one built and got ideas from several sources. I thought this would be a good place to share your ideas on what makes a good trike trailer.

 

I'll start with some of my ideas.

 

Fisrtly, weight. The lighter the trailer, the less fuel it takes to haul and the less tyre wear.

 

Secondly, I decided to have a full deck on the trailer and in keeping with the first goal, I decided to have an aluminium deck of the sort that they have on tray-back utilities.

 

Third, Wing racks. I chose to have the wing mounted on the trailer rather than the vehicle as it makes the trike transport self contained. If I take the trike on holiday and I want to go to the shops or out to eat, I don't want to be lugging the wing with me. Also, the added cost of racking on the trailer is less than and more asthetic than the racking on the vehicle. Finally, if the wing rack was on the vehicle, I'd probably leave it on even when I'm not trailering the trike and those things are pretty ugly on a vehicle.

 

Fourth, Tilt. I decided to go for a tilting trailer rather than ramps. The tilt doesn't add as much weight as carrying a set of ramps and is quicker and easier for getting the trike on and off the trailer.

 

Fifth, Winch. I decided to have a winch to get the trike on and off the trailer. Having the winch means not having to heave the trike on and off manually. Whenever you're heaving the trike around, there's the possibility of hurting someone or the trike.

 

Sixth, Wheels enclosed withing the deck perimeter. My brother-in-law says that he occasionally drags his trailer mudguards against things and suggested this solution. Also given that my trailer is 6 metres long and has a big turning circle, this is even more likely to happen.

 

Seventh, The trailer extends past the prop in the back. This might save a busted prop if I back into something.

 

Eighth, Stone deflector at the front. This is a simple and useful addition to protect my investment from rocks and stones thrown up by the towing vehicle.

 

Ninth, Open top. I decided not to go for an enclosed trailer for a couple of reasons; weight and ease of access. Also an enclosed trailer would require the wing to be carried much higher than I plan to carry it.

 

Tenth, Construction simplicity. The chassis design of my trailer is a very simple rectangular shape. The decking is just planks cut to length and bolted to the chassis. This helps to keep the cost and weight down.

 

Eleventh, Trike contained within trailer outlines. If I drag the trailer against something, I would prefer that the trailer cop the hit rather than the trike, so the trike sits completely within the boundaries of the trailer.

 

Here's some pics of my trailer chassis and the design model that I drew. I have this as a Solid Edge V19 file if anyone wants a copy, just PM me.

I like it

 

Glen:Yes, well spotted about the red. Did you notice that my trike is red too? No one will be able to keep up with me in the air or on the ground ;)

 

I plan to carry the wing kind of nestled between the fins of the spats and the body of the aircraft and slightly angled towards the center going forward. I want to carry the wing as low as possible, but not on the deck of the trailer. This will get the wing behind the towing vehicle and keep the C of G a bit lower. Because my trailer is fairly light (< 350Kg all up) keeping the C of G low will be an issue as the motor of the trike sits pretty high above the axles of the trailer.

 

I do have travel covers for my trike, but a bit of extra protection never goes astray. Oh, I forgot to mention that the stone deflector will be a steel frame with some heavy square fence mesh welded in and covered with something like shadecloth for the least wind resistance.

 

And my towing vehicle will be a V6 Rav4 (when I get it), so no power probs for the tow.

 

An extra waterproof cover for the wing sounds like a good idea, and maybe some covers for the struts.

 

Thanks for the input

Good looking design Scott, and the longer draw bar will certainly improve the ease of reversing and it will travel better.. I built one many years ago , with similar ideas , except the tilt tray. I submerged if you will my front tyre track with in the tray , full length of trailer, which kept the tray as a flat bed , but an extra use as a motorbike trailer. And I have duel removeable wing racks , either side of trailer, tool boxes and Jerry can trays..

 

 

Contacted HGFA, about my distance from anyone that they list as being able to do inspections for Rego n ownership transfer of Microlight weeks ago. Asked for their advise , and the steps I need to take to make this (easier) happen, and an email was agreed would be sent to me with this information. As yet still no further contact . 

 

 

Yep ditto, the same near my place , a fella has a home built trike with an Edge wing still on it. 

 

 

I new I was doing my cross country flights all wrong ..

 

 

Try to avoid , wing pack ups n transport as much as possible.. I think unnecessary pack ups are detrimental to keeping it in good condition , but hey that's probably just me .. I'm hrs n hrs from anyone that could do it ..!

 

 

Yes Slb, that's a good point , about the rego comparison, it all will have to be weighed up in the final cut ..   I have one of each now lol ..RAA and now HGFA .. just wish I could fly both on the same Lce .. another problem for me is the changes to get Rego done, Inspections , out where I am is not an easy thing .. especially if I can't fly it to meet up with a CFI or L2 to have it done . A photo n a bets test and a self inspection is all I've needed for 25 years, always done my own maintenance n repairs.. I think I have a very good record 

 

 

Yes noted , cscotthendry.. wouldn't it be great if you could get the same wing number , minus the the "T ". n replace it with the "3" ? 

 

 

P.S.  I also should of stated , it's another Trike purchased , added to the collection.. 

 

 

Well guys I have been following this thread with interest , and some frustration for years now, and it's become more relevant recently , being an RAA Member that has just purchased a Trike that is HGFA registered . Now my dilemma is which way do I go , transfer rego to Raa ? , or keep it as it is ? ( it will save a number change over on the wing ) can I now be able to fly it with my RAA Endorcements n Certifications that are in place..??                         Regards XC-Buzzard... 

 

 

Gary, How did you get on with your mates Trike?. Has he sold it ? If not , could you also send me some details thanks .