Matt

Don't know about tomorrow or your roof, but the next 5 days after that are looking like a great opportunity to get some "air time" :thumb_up: ! Thursday Fine. Min 8 Max 17 Friday Fine. Min 8 Max 17 Saturday Fine. Min 9 Max 18 Sunday Fine. Min 6 Max 17 Monday Fine. Min 7 Max 18 We were thinking of heading over to Ballarat on the weekend today to meet up with some of the folks that lurk over that way - anyone else in the Melbourne area keen on a "destination Ballarat" flight this weekend?

Ahh, seems to be terminology or acronym variations - I have similar checklists but different acronyms.

Similar approach to Mazda with mine and always do an RPM/Fuel Pressure/T&P/ASI Alive check when rolling. Question for you Maz - I've heard of CLEAROF before...can't say I'm familiar with CIGARS, LCA, BUMFISH, PUF or FROST...well by those names anyway...please elaborate.

Great explanation Bruce with some good supporting info from everyone else. I'd not heard of "the step" prior to today...as the saying goes - learn something new everyday...and usually one of those is from this site. I use method 2 as described by Bruce to transition from climb to cruise...not because of "the step", that's just what I was taught. Cheers, Matt.

Can someone enlighten us as to what "the step" refers to? Sounds similar to an experience I've had a few times surfing mountain waves into and out of Canberra - increasing IAS / increasing Ground Speed / less power needed while on the "front of the wave" and decreasing IAS / decreasing Ground Speed / full power needed while on the "back of the wave". It was no furphy, you could definitely feel the effects of the air mass flowing like ocean waves.

From the horses mouth (CASA) : Flight Time means, in the case of a heavier-than-air aircraft, the total time from when the aircraft first moves under its own power for the purpose of taking-off until the moment at which it comes to rest after landing. This is synonymous with 'chock to chock', 'block to block' or 'push back to block' time. The logging of "flight" hours should include all time you are in command of the aircraft under power - whether taxiing or in flight.

Here's some more of VH-MCT, taken by friend Don on a beautiful afternoon at Penfield.

The camera came with a number of mounting devices, for the landing gear we use a fabric/velcro strap which holds the camera mount onto the undercarriage leg, the camera then clips into the mount. The camera itself only weighs about 200 grams and is pretty aerodynamic and is about the size of 2 D size batteries end to end. We're looking at other mounting locations and did a flight today with it facing rearwards from the same mounting point on the undercarriage...a different view of the world! Will post video soon after some editing. We're also looking at some of the newer CMOS and CCD cameras that are being sold for reversing cameras for cars - you can pick them up for about $30 and come with various mounting options. Cheers, Matt.

Hi Extralite, The age limits for almost everything in the RAAF have recently been changed - over the past 2 years. Maximum age of pilot applicants is now 43 - the reason being they can get the 12 year return of service out of you before you reached compulsory retirement age for aircrew which was 55...this has just recently been changed to 60 so maximum age of applicant is likely to follow to 48 based on the logic. What's the chances of it actually happening? I know of a few trainees in their mid-late 30's as well as an Orion Flight Engineer who is 44 and was accepted for pilot training. Most of these guys were internal applicants who have less "lifestyle" choices to make as they're already in and used to RAAF lifestyle...and poor pay Cheers, Matt.

Not the best quality, a view from the left main landing gear leg on the CT4 taken recently on a joyflight with Glenn who is one of the local student pilots at Penfield...also known as "Chock Man" as he makes chocks out of scraps from his family's timber mill...the last set were a lovely Jarrah and Tassie Oak combination. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=034WGiX-Ja8"

The cynic in me says "you get what you pay for"...which is of course pretty accurate in this case - Airservices (and CASA) are primarily responsible for "the fare paying passenger" and private/recreational operators will always take a back seat to commercial operators. All that aside, if you need some assistance with NAIPS - installing, using etc. ask away, I'm sure there's plenty of folks here willing to assist...me included. Cheers, Matt.

There's various methods - hit the "Weather" button on the top right of the forum pages here and it'll take you to a wonderfully consolidated group of briefing materials...including NOTAMS. Also, it's probably worth getting a copy of NAIPS which is the Airservices application for briefings & flight plan submissions. You have to register but it doesn't cost anything - either to register or for the software...or to use the briefing services. Cheers, Matt.

Hi Stickman, While not your age I recently made the tough decision to not pursue an Air Force pilot career at the age of 34 despite passing all the selection tests and it being a life long dream. I applied when I was 32 and at a point in my life (like many contributing to this thread) where I wanted to decide whether to convert my current hobby and passion into a career. There were so many things to consider when making the decision to even apply - lifestyle, money, family, money, maturity, money, career opportunities...and of course money. I'm currently working as a senior manager for one of the largest IT service providers in the world and get paid reasonably well as a result, so any thought of a career change must take into consideration our financial position...which at this point in our lives doesn't allow us to take a very considerable reduced salary to pursue the passion. Thankfully and ironically, IT is my other interest and hobby and while not a hands-on techo any more, I still enjoy working in the industry and enjoy my role...and it just happens to be a very well paying industry at the moment. In contrast, my mate Chris who is a Jetstar captain, former Air Force pilot and former training & check captain with over 25 years experience and 12,000+ hours earns a base salary less than mine. He enjoys his flying but gets most enjoyment from the weekly "thrashing of the parrot" that we're doing at the moment while he teaches me aerobatics and often laments as to who's in the better position - he who flies for a living or me who owns their own aircraft and fly when I want, how I want, where I want...or if I don't want (rare but it happens ). I had also spoken to many current Air Force pilots before and during my application process to get a good appreciation across all ages / aircraft types of their experiences, pros, cons etc. When I explained my situation to many of them, their reaction was "why the hell would you want to give up all that to join the RAAF???" ....the grass is always greener The decision to pull out of the Air Force process ultimately came down to lifestyle - mine and that of my wife (Kaz). The thought of packing up home, moving around every couple of years, being treated like a kid (which is what most of the applicants are), a substantial reduction in salary and living standards just didn't seem to be what I wanted at this point in my life to simply fly a few more hours a year and have it be my job. 10 years earlier I would've done it without thinking. I'm actually thinking of getting my instructor rating (GA and RAA) as I really enjoy experiencing the sensations and enjoyment that others get in the early stages of their flying, I also enjoy developing peoples skills to achieve their goals - whether it's flying or work related. Ultimately the decision is yours. I wouldn't consider your age to be an issue - with retirement age for pilots recently changed you could have a flying career for the next 20 years - if you want it that badly, you'll achieve it. Cheers, Matt.

All I can say is that he'd be glad he was flying the 300HP version of the CT4 (he's flying the E model) - the extra 90HP over my CT4A model would have made a significant difference in successfully recovering from this situation. Luck didn't have much to do with the positive outcome - a very responsive aircraft (as Maz has said) with a good power to weight ratio and a very skilled pilot (check out some of the Red Checkers videos on You Tube, these guys know how to handle a CT4!).

Thanks Bruce, looks to be some interesting reading in that lot...something to look at tonight. Regarding Mazda's post - the CT4A (RAAF) flight manual descbribes "incipent" spins as 1.5 turns and "erect spins" or "fully developed spins" as 2 or more turns requiring "usually less than 5 turns" to recover. I don't have the briefing notes with me at the moment but recall that as Maz states, spinning was prohibited for solo students without prior permission of the CFI. Intentional inverted spinning was also prohibited (for students and instructors) without specific authority of the CFI. Good to see some discussion on some other forms of "recreational flying". Cheers, Matt.

hi Alan, it sure is awesome. Since that initial session we've now gone into a more formal training approach using the Air Force mass briefings (training syllabus) for the CT4. Session 1 was an overview of all the basic manoeuvers the CT4 is approved for which included aileron rolls, slow rolls, barrel rolls, loops, stall turns, roll off the top and spins. Session 2 we started with the basics of unusual attitude recovery (a must for everyone - regularly!), inverted flight and aileron rolls to get used to the sensations and attitudes of flying other than straight and level. Session 3 we then progressed to barrel rolls, loops, stall turns and slow rolls using the attitudes learnt in the previous session as a basis i.e. the attitude to maintain inverted straight and level flight is the target attitude for the halfway point of your slow roll. The slow roll is challenging to do and very challenging to do well as the control inputs are full, crossed at times and in a low powered aircraft with high drag the nose attitudes required during the inverted and wings vertical components are quite high requiring a lot of control input. I found getting used to stall turns a bit of a challenge as well, the control inputs as you slow to 0 airspeed and 0 G at the top require some finesse and coordination or you end up practising your unusual attitude recovery...hence the reason for that component at the start. Session 4 we consolidated everything learnt so far, making sure that all manoeuvers were consistent to the left and right, applying airmanship principles etc. We then had a look at the roll off the top which requires high airspeed and G application (175KIAS and 4.5G) to ensure you're at an appropriate airspeed at the top of the loop to roll upright...or once again you'll be practising those U/A recoveries. Before finishing the session we looked at incipent spin entry and recovery...I must admit to being a bit apprehensive when it came to spins. I'd only experienced them twice before - in a Tiger Moth and a Yak52 with little communication from the pilot at the time about what he was doing and what would happen - I like to be well informed about what's going to happen! I had also heard and read tales about the spin characteristics of the CT4...to the point that one of the aerobatic training books I have states that the "CT4 was restricted from spinning"...I can tell you there's a couple of thousand Air Force, Army and Navy pilots (and now me) who would suggest otherwise. After the initial demonstration I was somewhat underwhelmed by the aircraft behaviour and how effective and efficient the recovery technique is...and after a couple I was pretty comfortable with entering and recovering myself. I must say I'm looking forward to our next session this weekend. As I mentioned before, with each session I grow more confident with my abilities and by fully exploring the boundaries of my aircraft's performance envelope I am becoming more confident with the aircraft and knowing that it won't bite if I do certain things, it will bite if I do certain things and what to do when it bites. For those used to plodding around straight and level, uncomfortable with anything more than a 60 degree angle of bank or apprehensive about recovering from unusual attitudes, spins, stalls, flying at high angle of attack - go find yourself a good aerobatics school and have a few lessons. I would recommend it to everyone, even if you're not interested in ever doing aerobatics, it's a great way to gain confidence and skills if you ever end up in a situation that is outside your normal operating envelope. Cheers, Matt. Here's a link to a video we put together during a session a couple of weeks ago (link is also in the Flying Movies section) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L9QrvlFDgM"

The almost winter Fly-In and BBQ is being held at Sunbury/Penfield Airfield on Saturday 10 May and everyone is invited! It's a relaxing day for pilots to talk about flying with awards for the longest distance flown and best aircraft. The location is on the Melbourne VTC or see the Go Flying website at www.goflying.com.au for directions by road. Kaz and I will be there most of the day, if you decide to fly or drive in make sure you track us down and say g'day. Cheers, Matt.

Hi Ferret, yep that's our CT4 and the fat thing (175) belongs to our mate Phil. We'll be at Penfield on Saturday for the fly in - if you do come along, be sure to find us and say hi. Cheers, Matt.

Quick question for ya - what camera were you using?

A collection of video from aerobatic session #3 on Friday. Enjoy...I did! :thumb_up: YouTube - CT4 Aerobatics

As Airsick said, relax and treat it as any flight you've done so far. Your instructor wouldn't (shouldn't) be testing you if he/she didn't think you were ready. Good luck, have fun and let us know how it goes. Cheers, Matt.

Hi Paul, Just flicking through my logbook now, and based on 2002 vintage, here's what to expect: 1. Apply for a Student Pilot Licence and get Class 2 Medical 2. Aircraft conversion (5-10 hours of solo and dual time) 3. GFPT (1 hour with CASA testing officer) 4. Nav and Controlled Airspace (CTA & GAAP) (5-10 hours of solo and dual time) 5. PPL / BAK theory exam (via internet) 6. PPL Flight Test (3 hours with CASA testing officer) Expect to take 20-25 hours flying for the conversion - the GA syllabus is more comprehensive than the RA syllabus. Hope this helps some. Cheers, Matt.

Hi Ant, I did the RA to GA conversion a few years back (more than a few now...would be about 6), it took about 15-20 hours in total, I had about 70 hours RA time (including X-Country endorsement). I think there's been a few threads on what's involved in the conversion...if you can't find them let us know and we'll write them up again. Cheers, Matt.

Some air to air shots Some air to air shots taken by our friend Phil on a Sunday afternoon flight from Penfield to Bendigo.

red text on a blue background does it for me - all the letters look like they're moving! trick is not the red and green ones usually - the lantern test usually gets you with the white ones. they present 2 coloured lights which could be green, red or white. I find the red are usually fine, green and white can be a little difficult to distinguish as can red and white. Strangely the advent of LED lights has pretty well resolved that, the colours are so much more pronounced than a white light behind a coloured lens or a coloured light bulb.