maxamos

Exadios, FLARM's are now mandatory at many glider clubs in Vic and NSW where from what I am told the policy is no FLARM, no launch. I fly at the GCV Benalla, and although it is not mandatory most of the gliders seem to have them. I was sitting in the club rooms after a day of flying towards the end of the gliding season this year. One of the other pilots was discussing how he was flying along a cloud street doing about 80kn when his FLARM alerted him with a nice female voice that there was a glider approaching head on. As he was doing 80kn, and after discussing with the other glider pilot who was also travelling at a similiar speed in the opposite direction there approach speed was about 300kmh or 5km min. As the FLARM warns about 2 to 3 km away as you can see there is sufficient time to see and avoid, maybe 30 seconds. In this instance the gliders were not on a collision course but neither pilot had spotted the other glider approaching head on before their FLARM's made them aware. As you know a glider approaching head on is pretty small, and you would only need to be distracted for a short while to be in a very nasty situation. I think they are a great bit of kit and really assist you but of course they are only an aid to use with effective look out. Hope this helps.

Me too Sure sounds like a good deal. Let me know. KA:thumb_up:

Brent, Does it really matter that much ? I was quite happy to do the exam and prove to myself that I knew ( or hadn't forgotten ) all of it. As it turned out I learnt quite a few things, as the PPL BAK, was more involved than the RAA. Loading charts etc. All good information, and then no one can question the relevance of my licence. The more I learn the better, hopefully, I will be. There is no way I could have passed the PPL BAK without having studied for it, which tells me that I didn't know enough to be competent or to be exempt doing the test. That is specific to me though as I don't know what level others have studied BAK for RAA.

RAA to PPL Gibbo, Or anyone else going down this road let me know how you are going with this ? I am also heading down this road, RAA to PPL, so I am interested in what you find out. Have approached a few different schools asking the question about what is required to convert and got different answers last year so went and studied the books and passed my PPL BAK, then the PPL theory exam. Now I am looking to start the actual flying training. Did seriously think about Lilydale as I did a lot of my RAA training with Brett M, and Brent, but it is a bit too far for me. Have had a couple of flights in a C-150 and main thing I have noticed is the difference using a yoke, rather than stick. First time was trying to steer the plane when taxing with the yoke like a steering wheel. :hittinghead:

If you are coming in side slipped , with an indicated 60 kn, then this is only indicated of course due to the pitot being affected by the side slip attitude, so you will more than likely be doing a little more. Combined with a little bit of error on the airspeed, maybe indicating 61 or 62, real airspeed may actually be closer towards 65. Just another factor to through into the mix , or my TCW !!

Sure is a great looking plane and all the reviews seem to rave about it. Dennis did have some kits late last year for going for just over $52k for a basic kit, but with the $Aus trading so low against the $US dollar they would be over $60k now I would assume. This is for the basic kit, then around $2800 for interior kit ( seats, vinyl etc) and it wouldn't be hard to spend another few grand on other items, such as larger fuel tanks, wing lights, cabin heating, brake upgrade etc. Jab 3300 a bit of change from $20k, and then you have avionics of course. Better remember to buy lotto this week !

Hate to be on the negative side, but if you were building planes on the production line side, and you were only building the horizontal stabiliser, then you wouldn't satisfy the 51% rule, and would not have any real idea about the plane as a whole, or how it all goes together. This of course is a huge benefit when it comes to the maintenance of the aircraft. Agree that it would be a huge time saver, but from my perspective would defeat one of the major reasons for building your own plane, the satisfaction, knowledge and skill you would gain from the project. Any way , that is my opinion, and I am sure there are many people out there which are more interested in the building as a cost saving, despite the huge amount of time invested in the project.

There have been some great long glider flights from Benalla recently, including two this week over a thousand kms, (1000kms) Also one last week by David Jansen, launching from Benalla in Victoria at 9.30am, and landing late that afternoon in Qld. How good are these guys ! For more information, see the Gliding Club Victoria website; Gliding Club of Victoria - News - Summary

If Only Yeah if only I was a better pilot it wouldn't be a problem. :thumb_up: At the moment I am still pretty conservative, and it takes me a while to suss out the conditions. Besides I am just happy to be up there enjoying the flying, and learning more. Certainly agree with you about the IS-28, but it is a competent training aircraft. The club have just got a brand new ASK-21, which everyone seems to be suitably impressed with, and I am sure will be a lot more popular than the older machines. By the way, this week there have been two flights from Benalla of over 1000kms, one by the current world champion, so the difference certainly shows. These guys are unreal. There was also a recent flight, launching at Benalla at 9.30am , and landing in Qld, by David Jansen Check out the GCV website for more info about some of the flights. Gliding Club of Victoria - News - Summary

Had a great flight in the LS-7 in early December on a blue day. Thought it was about time to have a crack at completing the silver C, as I have allready done the 5hr endurance, and the height gain, just needed the 50km straight flight. Organised to get a logger, but there was no one around to set it up for me, but wasn't too concerned as the log would still be there. So up and away , off tow at a bit under 2000 agl, and then into lift. Struggled for the first hour, staying with in gliding distance of the strip, as I couldn't get above 3500agl or so. Found the thermals quite broken, and there seemed to be an inversion, (or lack of skill??) preventing me getting any higher, and it was a blue day. I kept pushing out towards my intended goal of Yarrawonga, and finally managed to start getting some better thermals up to about 4000, then 4500 agl. Was starting to get a bit more comfortable and after about 2 hrs had left the airfield area and was getting closer to halfway there, or about 20 kms out. (Of course I had filled out the SAR log etc) Really was enjoying the flight, and it was making me work. So after about 3 hrs I was nearly at Yarrawonga, but now really starting to need to have a Pee, but decided to keep going for the flight. Finally was over the destination, and could see on the logger that I had made the 50 k flight, Yippee, now lets head for home. On the way back, had a bit of a scare when I was starting to get fairly low, only about 2300agl, and was really starting to look at my options for landing out, when I managed to find some weak lift, and get back up to about 3500 agl, and then headed off again looking for some better lift, in an area that I had been lucky with previously over some hills. Once there found some good lift, and got my best height of the day, up to about 6000agl. From there it was an easy and fast glide back, as I really needed to get out of the cockpit, and relieve that bladder. Oh what a great feeling it was too. What a great flight, my first 50k out, and I had learnt a lot. Yeah learnt even more when I told one of the more competent guys about making my goal, completing the flight and asking him to help me download the logger so I could put it in for my silver C. He then asked, "You did declare it on the logger didn't you ?? " :confused: Oh oh. He then went on to explain that the GFA were getting very strict about claims. Bugger, guess that it isn't my Silver C, but just a practice run. Will make sure that the logger is set up properly next time !! Best flight to date though , and plenty more to come.

Flying from Gliding Club Victoria - Benalla I fly out of Benalla, although last season was a non event due to work committments and I am still pretty much a novice , though have progressed through training on IS-28's, some solo flights in them as well as a couple of flights in a Blanik. Most of my solo time has been in a Junior, with a couple of flights in an LS-7, which is a great machine to fly. This year has been much better so far. Managed to get up to Benalla in early December, but as I had only just arrived back in the country, didn't manage to get there for the morning briefing, which is when the single seaters are allocated on the weekend. So had to make do with a couple of longer flights in an IS-28, including one of about 2 hours. Came down as my butt was getting a bit sore, and just after I did the LS-7 landed and the guy flying it wasn't keen to go back up, so I managed another 3 hrs in that. First time I had gone straight from the IS-28 into the LS-7, and it was like getting out of a mack truck into a sports car. Fantastic. It was an absolute joy. It is a great and very friendly club, but a bit busy on the weekends, so I normally try to fly mid week during the season. I am venturing further away from the airfield and looking forward to some longer cross country flights. Will relay about my longest flight in the next post. Sure is a great sport, and makes me feel a lot more confident with my powered flight, due to all the extreme angles and low speed flying. :big_grin:

I would highly recommend the "Killing Zone " as well. This is a great book, and a great reference. I haven't finished it yet, but read it from time to time, try to absorb it and really learn from other peoples mistakes. I find that there is too much information, too reflect on to read it very quickly. Definitely not like a novel, ie; read it quickly and throw it back on the shelf.

Thanks Ian, no way I will give up the RAA. Way too enjoyable, but the GA side will make it possible to take both kids flying with me. This is a problem at the moment, as what do I do with the other one whilst two of us are up. Also should have said, " Welcome aboard to Keanie" as I noticed after I submitted that it was his first post.

There have been many discussions about this issue so I would suggest that you look through the "Training and student pilots" forum and look for similiar threads. There are a few, with lots of great information. In summary though, it really is a matter of which flying school you go to, which CFI you talk to and then your experience, flying hours, and skill. Theory - Some CFI's will tell you that you need to the PPL BAK, others may not enforce it. It is in my opinion worthwhile to do the PPL BAK. You will of course need to pass the PPL CASA exam. Practical - it is much quicker and easier of course to find a school that have a GA registered aircraft the same as what you have been flying RAA, so in your case a Tecnam. Only hours that you have after you get your RAA licence can be applied to your PPL, or so I have been told. I believe it would also be much easier if your RAA school also has GA. One thing is for sure , there is no easy answer and it will probably take longer than what you are first told. I am also trying to get my GA at present but it is being compounded by working o/s at the moment, with under 3 weeks at home then 5 weeks away. When I get back next time it is also Xmas / New Years, so less time. Oh well. Good Luck

WT9 Maybe not used as a tug in Corowa, as from what I hear they have shut down their gliding operation and moved it to the GCV at Benalla. Has kinda made our hangar very full, but now there are a few more gliders to fly, and some more single seaters which is a big bonus. The WT9 is a great looking plane, (and should be at the cost). Have spoken to the other owner at Lilydale, some time ago (last year) and he said he really needed to change his attitude and his concentration to adapt to the speed of the Dynamic, which I am sure is true of all the higher performance types. Just wish I could afford one !!

GCV Hi to the glider pilots, I fly out of Benalla with the GCV. It is a great club, very friendly has loads of options, between flying across the flat or heading up to the hills. It is not unusual for the better pilots to fly up to Mt Koziusko and back in a day, and reguarly people fly up over the Victorian high country, depending on the day and the conditions. Didn't manage much flying at all last season due to work committments, did my pre-season checks, out landing checks, then not much else. I am hoping for a lot better go this season with a bit of luck. I am still pretty junior with only about 40 odd hours up, but hope to do some longer cross country flights this season. Great fun and really makes me a lot more comfortable flying in general after all the stall and spin training. This part I would recommend to any pilot, as it is great training, and even better on a thermally day, when you can play and spin to your hearts content, then thermal back up for some more fun. :thumb_up: It gets pretty busy during the season on a weekend, but on the other hand there are few more pilots in the bar once the flying finishes to have a chat with and a quiet ale. Really looking fwd to getting up there when I get back from work at the end of the month, and hoping that it is sunny and hot. Cheers Kirk

Bairnsdale Bendorn, As I mentioned, I haven't had any further information from them, and they were asking people for expressions of interest, so perhaps there wasn't enough interest, or more likely it is just taking a while to get it started. When I get home, in a few weeks, I will try to dig up the information that I was sent, and if I can find it I will post on this thread. Regards Kirk

Bairnsdale I saw something in 2006 about expressions of interest for an airpark at Bairnsdale, at the old RAAF base. Have not heard anything since, and I registered as being interested, so maybe it isn't going ahead.

Great story. Really enjoyed reading it, but was more than a bit surprised when I saw the photo's and then checked the date. I live in Victoria, and was passing through Port Macquarie that day, unfortunately by car, and happened to stop in and look at the airport that day and saw the Sports Star there. Just wish now that I had of walked over and said hello, but I was in a hurry, to get to Gosford for a birthday party. The Sports Star looks just as good in your photo's and the colour scheme is unmistakeable. CHeers

Hey Snoopy, Another couple of schools in Melbourne, that would be worth a look; both flying Jabiru's. Lilydale; J160 Jabiru's ( the latest model) and they also have a GA school. Tooradin; which may be a little far for you; they have J160 and LSA-55 ( the earlier model - bit simpler, and slightly cheaper) As expressed by others on this thread, it is preferable to find somewhere which suits you and these points are also important. Location; so you can get there frequently and hopefully with a variety of conditions so you can practice crosswind as well as easy approaches. Also traffic conditions and circuits will be different at different airfields, and the time taken to get to the training area, waiting to take off etc. Instructors; how you relate to them. Hope this is helpful. Aircraft; as this may change your interest in flying

REDAIR, Yeah it seems that your question was misinterpreted, and you haven't had any replies about the "701 STOL" that you were interested in. Perhaps, as you said, it may have been better to take the longhanded approach. Hopefully somone may still pick up on this thread and pass on the information that you require. Good luck, Kirk

Link to height world record Here is a link to a story about that record; http://www.technologyevangelist.com/2006/09/steve_fossett_does_i.html It was a good read. Amazing !!!

Have finally managed to get my C certificate completed. Didn't rush it though, which is a shame in some ways, as I have missed this season and now have little chance of getting my silver C. On the other hand I now have another goal to look forward to. Have thoroughly enjoyed my time in gliders, and would recommend it to all other pilots as it is a great way to enhance your skills, especially for other novices such as myself. I feel far more confident in my ability to handle slow flight and especially stalls and spins after going through spin training in gliders. In RAA we always fly towards the middle of the speed range and try to avoid the low end, where in gliders you get really used to flying just above stall speed, and really concentrating on the symptoms to ensure that you avoid the stall. Another big bonus is being able to do aerobatics. Yee hah !!! As much as I have been hanging out to get my C certificate so that I can start flying cross country, I have also been really enjoying just flying the glider, with no particular destination in mind, just hanging in the local area of the airfield and just trying to stay up. ;) . Flying for the sheer joy of it, no noise, no real goal, just flying around and loving it. It's even better when the aircraft cost is $20 per hour, and $100 maximum charge. Can I stay up here all day ? One of the best flights that I had was when I converted to single seaters; jumped in the junior for my initial flight and then managed to stay up for 5 and a half hours. The conditions were obviously pretty damn good when a mug like me could do it, but none the less it was a real buzz, especially working my way back up from 3000 ft to 9000 plus on a couple of occassions and it certainly taught me a lot about soaring, and flying in general. Hopefully I will get the chance to have at least one more good day up there before the season finishes, and I will be really looking forward to next season and the prospect of really learning how to fly cross country in gliders.

Welcome aboard Scott, As you said, this is a great site for exchanging information and picking up the latest news and views. I am sure that you will enjoy it as much as the rest of us. Best of luck with the training - you will love every moment of it if you are anything like most of us here. I am a relative newbie as well, both to this site and to RAA flying. Would be interested in hearing your thoughts on that delightful little aircraft you are learning on ( there is a forum for various popular aircraft and also one for the minority group such as the Atec.) and also would be interested to hear about flying and aviation in general in Czech, as there seems to be a lot of interesting aircraft coming out of there recently. all the best - Kirk

Brent, Just noticed that I haven't replied to thank you for the information that you posted on this thread, so THANKS. Sure gives me a good idea of what to expect. Kirk