Kaz

Hi Kelvin, As a wife that loves to spend time flying, but doesn't have a licence, I think that it just takes time to get comfortable with the plane and the pilot. Having flown with Matt from when he first learnt (I was his first passenger!) to now, 8 or 9 years later, just understanding what is going on and the things he is thinking about as we fly along makes me comfortable. When we got the CT4 I was uneasy flying for while until I got used to the plane and it's charateristics, but now I feel much safer in the air than on the highway! There have been many accidents where the pilot was very experienced and I've asked why? how could that happen to someone with so much knowledge? and I have resigned myself to the fact that an accident can happen to anyone, at any time, and all you can do is your absolute best to be safe and make good decisions. Good luck! Cheers, Kaz

Apparantly, the CT4 will fly almost as good without the canopy :raise_eyebrow: I'm not going to be testing that theroy any time soon though...

Having had 2 planes with bubble canopies I can tell you have I spent a lot of time thinking about this exact topic. I have an emergency evacuation procedure for all scenarios... I have to think about something while Matt flies!i_dunno Our solution in the first plane was to carry an emergency knife with us whenever we flew to be able to cut our way out of the canopy if we ever landed inverted or if the latch couldn't be opened. My hope for a water landing was always landing right way up and the low wings giving us that bit of extra time to get out. The CT4 comes with it's own emergency knives and a jetterson canopy so I don't have to think about getting stuck inside so much. I just work through the procedure for what I would do in the event of a bad landing. Matt will be busy so I'm radio and canopy girl. My biggest worry with the CT4 is it weights a ton and will nose down very quickly in the water so I have ensured I can get my 5 point safety harness off quickly (making sure I can gets Matt's undone too if required) and to not get smacked in the head with the tail as we nose over.:raise_eyebrow: I am the ultimate in planning for the worse and find once I have the main plan set and a back up plan set, I don't think much about it anymore.

Hi Jenny, welcome to the forum. It's always good to have new member and I'm sure you'll be a valuable contributor when there is an ATC procedures debate going on! We really enjoyed the airshow and I thought it was run execptionally well with little "down" time between displays. I must congratulate the person who was on ground at departure time (I think it may have been you) for their patience and professionalism because I was ready to get on the radio and yell at some of the pilots for the vagueness they were displaying!:hittinghead: That said, it was the quickest and easiest departure from an airshow I think we have ever had! Cheers, Kaz

Albury Tower do not have a radar, however they have radar coverage down to about 8,000 feet, under that it visual. Getting in without a transponder would not be a problem but you can always ring the tower first and see if they have any preferred reporting points for the day.

Matt seems to have trouble washing the dishes (hurts his back to bend over the sink), so I developed a back problem whenever I use the Vacuum. Worked well ;) I used to cook very badly, but Matt noticed how many cooking shows I watch and decided I was bluffing... DAMMIT! Now I cook too... still can't BBQ though! Guys, if you really don't want to do it, develop an allergy (skin disease, hayfever, coughing, dizziness etc). It's your best bet!;)

Maybe they have a "thing" for "grey haired old farts"?? I love it when I get on a domestic flight and there's a female pilot, makes me feel more safe knowing there's a women up there to multi task if things go wrong. :big_grin: Although I have to wonder if they turn the GPS around to face the correct direction? :confused: Maz, I'd fly with you anyday... and I am a safety freak. (It's my job after all!) Hope to see you down Melbourne way soon!

Not sure, in the 2 and a bit years I've had an ASIC I've only ever had one person ask to look at it - which was an AFP guy at Canberra airport a few months back...I think the plane got his attention and while talking to us about it and where we'd just flown he figured he should ask to see our ASICs while he was there. Oh, and this is Matt replying, just figured out I'm using Kaz's login.

Hey Bernie, Where is your nephews farm and what is his surname? I grew up in Ulverstone... it's a small town!

Matt forgot to mention the nice people at Devonport Airfield that invited us to a BBQ at a private airstrip at the base of Mount Roland. We didn't make the BBQ but they were a nice bunch of people that gave us lots of waved as came and went. He also didn't mention the TOOL that thought the other 3 tie down points on the grass weren't good enough so he parked RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!! In the middle of a great big open grass area!! We had to get help to push our plane backwards just so we could taxy, and even my 8 year old niece said "that was very rude!" Not exactly what I said...

CT4 and Clouds Taken after a wash... I like the clouds...

Thanks Ian, I re-read my post and it does sound a bit smart a#@$... if you could see my facial expression you'd see I am just confused!! We need web cam!!

browng, In the situation you are explaining as the number 3 aircraft, what would the radio call be?

The following ATSB report contains reference to an aircraft orbiting while on downwind... Breakdown of separation Occurrence 200501921 On 30 April 2005, the pilot of a Cessna Aircraft Company A152 (C152) aircraft was conducting circuit training at Hobart. The C152 was on the downwind leg of the circuit when the crew of a Boeing Company B717–200 (B717) aircraft commenced the final leg of an instrument approach to the same runway. The Hobart aerodrome controller was applying visual separation standards and had instructed the pilot of the C152 to make an orbit, and then continue downwind, to separate the C152 from other aircraft. The C152 pilot did not complete a full orbit, but turned onto the base leg of the circuit when the B717 was on final approach. The minimum distance between the converging aircraft reduced to between 400 and 500 m horizontally and 300 ft vertically and required the pilots of both aircraft to commence avoiding action. There was an infringement of separation standards.

I would have to say you are incorrect. In controlled airspace an orbit is a 360 degree turn while maintaining altitude (we spend a lot of time doing them in Canberra waiting for sequencing). If you are in the circuit, turn base and are not going to land then it's called a go round, a missed approach, a pass (?) or something of that description.Working with air traffic controllers I am pretty confident of this terminology. Can anyone else offer an opinion on this one???

Going back to the opening post here... Unicom services will provide general weather reports, basic air traffic information and details about the services and facilities available. They will not be your eyes or your conscious, you are still the pilot and your are still responsible. Even when flying in controlled airspace do you just sit back and wait for someone to tell you what to do? Should ANYONE at ANYTIME be lulled into a false sense of security when flying? And if you do, should you sit down and have a bit of a think about that?? Would any of you in this situation just assume there is no traffic and not bother scanning for other aircraft? Would you not bother with radio calls because you think no one else is in the circuit anyway? Mistakes happen, maybe the other guy had a radio failure. Maybe he doesn't have a radio (although that is a separate issue I won't get started on!;)) So my question here is - If you are a good pilot and you do the right thing, then why would a Unicom be a bad thing? I also think people need to question themselves on whether they can do more training, be a more effective pilot, read more articles and enhance their knowledge. Yes, flying is a sport and should be enjoyed, but it is a high risk sport and you never stop learning. Thanks for listening ;). As a non-pilot I have a lot of time when we're flying around to think of all these things (in between serving meals and changing the tunes:laugh:). I don't understand why a person would go through all the training and expense to become just a mediocre pilot. **Note - Unicoms trials are starting in Wagga and Dubbo in the next 2 weeks**

Happy Birthday Corrine! I hope Ian brings you back something nice ;) Cheers, Kaz

We have AMP Life Insurance and they have no problems with us flying. Cheers, Kaz

The plan was simple, test Matt's navigation capabilities without relying on the 2 GPS's and ADF, using only a stopwatch and compass (well 2 really, the CT4 has a remote flux compass as well as a standby compass). Flight planning also had to be done the "old fashion way" with maps, rulers, pencils, whiz wheels etc...no Command Flight Planner plan for this trip...for him anyway :) The route: A circuit to the north and west of Canberra, YSCB-YGLB-RUG-YYNG-YCTM-YSWG-YTMU-YSCB. The trip should take just over 2 hours with legs just long enough to test the basic skills of heading and time with enough distance to have to correct if off course. I had the route programmed into both GPSs which Matt couldn't see from the pilot seat as well as the plan from Command Flight Planner so I could track our (his) progress. We leave early to make sure we're back before the storms planned for this afternoon (which are pretty impressive...even if we're not actually getting any rain in Canberra...everywhere but!). Departing Canberra, Matt sets the heading for Goulburn and starts the stopwatch. Cross checking the GPS I note we're a little left of track but only by about 2 degrees, a variation a bit too small to pick up on the compass. Approaching Goulburn Matt makes his 10 mile call (which is actually at about 9 miles) and notes our position a little left of track and corrects to ensure we're overhead the airfield before turning for our next waypoint. Actual time for the leg is within a minute of planned. Overhead Goulburn airfield we turn to track for Rugby NDB and climb to 6500'. Again we're a little left of track and as we pass Rugby township we struggle to identify the NDB which is supposed to be our right...time for the leg is just about spot on though. Lesson 1 - pick very distinguishable landmarks for waypoints :). Matt sets course for Young, again it's left of track as we weren't directly overhead the NDB when we turned, this course error would remain constant as we near Young and the distance we were off course at Rugby (about 2nm) is the same as we approach Young airfield. We track to overfly Young and set course for our next waypoint which is Cootamundra. This time we're a little right of track and at 10nm from the airfield we again track to overfly the airfield, time for this leg was only 11 minutes which was again spot on. As we leave Cootamundra I note on the GPS that we're a bit off the heading we're supposed to be flying and Matt picks this up pretty quickly as we track to the left of a landmark that's supposed to be on the right...an error in setting the heading bug on the compass...exactly 10 degrees out. With that error fixed we're on our way to Wagga. To make things a bit interesting (and because I wanted to get back for a cup of tea) I decide to throw in a diversion, we can't continue to Wagga due weather and will divert to Tumut then onto Canberra. Matt identifies our position and estimates a heading, distance and time to Tumut...to my surprise he's spot on the heading (dammit!!), within a mile on the distance and within a minute on the ETE...smart a__! 15 minutes later we're overhead Tumut and on our last leg home to Canberra. I offer to let Matt use the GPS for the last leg but he wants to complete the exercise. So off we head home to Canberra, where 35 of the last 40 miles are under controller so not a lot of navigation required...fly the heading and altitude you're told, how hard can that be .

Woke up this morning to a beautiful flying day in Canberra and decided I wanted to go whale watching on the coast, then have my favorite flying lunch in Merimbula. Matt, of course, was devastated to have to take me flying instead of doing housework so off we went! Up to 7500 over the hills to Moruya as it was a bit windy, then down to 1500 on the coast. Go almost to Merimbula without a sighting when Matt finally spotted one laying on her back clapping her fins at us (waving I reckon;)). Did a few orbits watching her jump around having a great time then we kept going on and about 3 minutes later saw a pod of three also jumping around. We passed Merimbula and went down to Green Cape Lighthouse (south of Eden) then back to Merimbula (I was getting pretty hungry by then!) and on approach noticed another whale, this one unfortunately was dead and washed up on the rocks... very sad :;)4: It was a bit windy and a bumpy approach but Matt managed a screamer of a landing! Walked the few km into town to The Waterfront Cafe and had a wonderful lunch, as always... a big "shout out" for the people at Waterfront Cafe in Merimbula. Walked back to the airport to depart for the return trip to Canberra, climbed up to 8500 to get out of the bumps and had a smooth trip home. I would like to say I took lots of great photos of the whales, unfortunately with the bumps, sun glare and my head not liking orbits the photos are blurry and not so good, so I wont share! Attached is a google earth of our whale watching track though. You can see by the orbits why I got sick!! Have also attached the KML file that you can save and then open in Google Earth on your computer to see the whole track - it's zipped coz the forum won't allow you to attach a *.KML file. Cheers, Kaz 13OCT07 YSCB-YMER-YSCB.zip 13OCT07 YSCB-YMER-YSCB.zip 13OCT07 YSCB-YMER-YSCB.zip

I don't really understand any of the technical guff about the lasers, but check out the pics for an example of the range possible... http://www.laserglow.com/index.php?hercules

The lasers are not necessarily small hand held type, but large torch like laser used for astronomy. Some of the laser hits are accidental due to astronomers star gazing but many (probably most) are deliberate. The following is an article from Callback, NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System. Laser illumination of aircraft cockpits may cause a number of hazardous effects, including pilot distraction, glare, after-image flash blindness, and in extreme circumstances, persistent visual impairment and inability to perform flight duties. According to the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Operations Bulletin 2007-04, lasers continue to be a threat to aviation. During the first five months of 2007, over 200 “lasing” incidents were reported despite law enforcement efforts to deter and apprehend those who intentionally illuminate cockpits with lasers. The rise in laser incidents in recent years is believed to be due to the proliferation and increasing sophistication of laser devices available to the general public. On January 11, 2005, the FAA issued Advisory Circular (AC) No. 70-2, Reporting of Laser Illumination of Aircraft, in response to numerous documented incidents of unauthorized illumination of aircraft by lasers. This AC provides guidance to air crews on the reporting of laser incidents, and recommends mitigation actions to be taken to ensure continued safe and orderly flight operations. A review of laser incidents submitted to ASRS during the past year-and-a-half provides compelling evidence of the effects of sudden laser illumination in the cockpit. For one First Officer (the Pilot Flying), a laser flash produced a lingering after-image. Turning base to final, Runway 9R, I saw a very brief, bright green flash about 5 miles NNE of our position, in my right eye. Although not painful, I could feel an unusual sensation in my eye. The light was distracting and caused an ‘after- image’ to remain in my visual field for about 20 minutes after exposure. I was Pilot Flying, and was able to continue and land normally. After landing, I telephoned my airline’s Operations Center to inform them of the event, and they forwarded my report to TRACON.... A Flight Instructor and student were temporarily blinded by a laser aimed at their aircraft. My student and I were in cruise and we both noticed a glare on our left passenger window. Both of us turned to look at what was causing it and saw a ground-based laser which was striking our aircraft. It was turned off and then on a total of 3 times before it stopped. The fact that it was turned on and off more than once and that it struck us each time caused us to believe it was intentional. We reported it to Approach...It was blinding but not debilitating. In an especially graphic laser event reported to ASRS, a Captain suffered blistering and temporary vision loss as the result of a laser incident at FL360. More from the First Officer’s report: As I turned my gaze from [the] right side cockpit window, I observed a reflected flash from the left side of the cockpit. The Captain was looking out of the left cockpit side window at the same moment and asked me if I saw ‘that flash.’ I informed him that I only saw the reflection...The Captain then asked rhetorically if that might have been one of those unauthorized lasers. This made it clear to me that he had observed something far more intense than I had perceived. Based upon the...sensations the Captain was feeling in his eyes and with his suggestion, I made an ‘unauthorized laser’ report [to] the Center...After several more minutes, the Captain complained of less than clear vision, but nothing ‘too serious.’ We landed...approximately 50 minutes later...Once on the gate with the opportunity to directly observe the Captain’s eyes in good conditions, it was obvious his eyes were extremely bloodshot with what appeared to have been blistering and possible bleeding at the inside corner of his right eye. He was then complaining of increased discomfort in both eyes and blurred vision in the right eye...I accompanied the Captain to the hospital near the airport so that a physician could examine his eyes...The Captain’s retina was not damaged, but his normal 20-15 vision was temporarily 20-60...The FBI has contacted the Captain and interviewed him about this event.... Advisory Circular 70-2 details the reporting procedures to be used by air crews who experience a laser illumination incident, and suggests practical actions pilots may consider taking before, during, and after encountering laser activity. Immediately report the laser incident to ATC, including the event position (e.g., latitude/longitude and/or fixed radial distance), altitude, direction and position of the laser source, beam color, and length of exposure (flash or intentional tracking). Pilots flying in uncontrolled airspace are requested to immediately broadcast a general laser illumination caution on the appropriate UNICOM frequency. This general caution should include the following elements: Phrase “Unauthorized Laser Illumination Event” Event time (UTC) and general positional information (e.g., location and altitude) General description of event (e.g., color, intensity, and direction of beam) [*]Pilots should avoid flight within areas of reported ongoing unauthorized laser activity to the extent possible. [*]If laser activity is encountered while pilots are in contact with ATC, pilots should obtain authorization prior to deviating from their last assigned clearance. [*]Pilots should avoid direct eye contact with lasers and should shield their eyes to the maximum extent possible during a laser incident. We hope this information on laser illumination hazards has been useful, and we would appreciate any additional reports to ASRS on laser incidents.

Tiger Moth and Stampe at Goulburn

The AIP ref to aircraft call signs is GEN 4.16 http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/publications/current/aip/gen/3_4_1-24.pdf I cant find Gen 3.4-19... maybe a typo... ???

Hi Pete, ATC use a process called group form, which is basically the grouping of numbers into pairs or hundreds. If you have a 3 digit number than you group the second and third numbers. So Bernie would be Vampire One Twenty Two Tecnam Forty Six Seventy Three Tecnam Thirty Two Zero Four Virgin Seven Hundred Virgin Seven Zero Two As in the second Virgin and Tecnam callsigns, sometimes the numbers don't work in a group and are then left as single numbers. You can call your call sign as single digits, I don't think it matters, but the ATC will probably come back using their phraseology. It's easier to say and hear and remember two numbers than four numbers. :) Cheers, Kaz