Matt

:wave:Did someone say CT4?!?!? Welcome to the forums, will try to catch up next time we're over Ballarat. Cheers, Matt.

From my experience with Vista, it's a massive resource hog (memory and processor) - make sure you install SP1, it does make a difference. Also, unless you really like the "fluffy" look - turn it all off and make it look classic windows - will save a few hundred MB of memory just doing that. FSX does work a great deal better on Vista than XP though which is key given your intended use. I run what was a high level gaming machine about 2 years ago (single 3.2GHz, 512MB video, 4GB RAM) and FSX with the performance options tweaked (there's a few articles around on how to get best performance) I regularly get 30-40 fps - plenty for us humans. Office 2007 - having used if for a year or so I have no complaints (other than initially not being able to find stuff) and actually think it's the best release yet. Cheers, Matt.

That'll happen sometimes. And yes, we do have a close bond with ARDU-CT4 on "the other site" ;)

Thanks Sain...beat me to it. Our aircraft was allocated to ARDU for it's entire Air Force service life (roughly 18 years) which is unique as it was the only one to do that, the others (3 or so from memory) that spent time with ARDU were cycled through from 1FTS (ab initio training school). The result - we have an aircraft with about 3-5000 hours and probably 2-3 times as many cycles less than the other CT4s in the country. While she did have some interesting times, apparently mostly related to inverted spin testing, the remainder of her time was spent sitting in the corner of the ARDU hangar at Edinburgh (RAAF base just north of Adelaide where ARDU is based), usually taken out on Friday afternoons by the chief test pilot for an hour or so of aerobatics and procedures training. She averaged about 70 hours a year and was sold in 1993 with about 1600 hours on the airframe...we've just ticked over 2150 15 years later. We were lucky enough to meet one of the pilots who spent the most time in her during a trip to Adelaide last year. Cheers, Matt.

From narromine continue south to Parkes then Temora or Wagga, Yarrawonga or Wangaratta then down the Hume over Benalla to Mangalore.

Hi Airsick, the RA-Aus schools which currently have a waiver are at Cambridge (Hobart) and Parafield (SA) I believe. The waiver is for the approved schools only (related to aircraft registration and registered operator), not for any RA-Aus pilot intending to fly in or out of there in their own aircraft. I understand a number of other schools have applied one at Camden from memory, and possibly Jandakot???

3 Blade prop = 1 blade vertically down - effectively a 'Y' alignment 4 Blade prop = blades in an 'X' alignment are the common approaches

Regarding the CT4, it was flight tested (by ARDU) without the canopy to test handling characteristics, affect on stall etc. Surprisingly as Kaz said the report concluded that the aircraft handled "normally" at descent speeds of 80-90 knots and only increased the stall speed by 4 knots. It has an inflight release mechanism that will see it disappear over the tail (again something tested by ARDU...not in flight though but 2 actual operational releases endoresed the ground testing). The various emergency procedures which relate to ditching, forced landing etc. refer to jettisoning the canopy as one of the actions.

With respect to being "dodgy" - there are mulitple versions of the Ishihara (coloured dots) books, various revisions and mutliple manufacturers. It's highly unlikly you'd be able to "dodgy" a pass based on "studying" a single test booklet. If you're planning on going PPL or higher you will need to have a medical with a DAME anyway and they will perform the tests - it's probably worth the money just to confirm what your level of perception deficiency is which will then determine your future. When I was 19 I was first tested by the Air Force when I applied to join as a pilot and failed both the Ishihara Plates and the Lantern - I believe the latter was related to my mental state having just found out I was "colour blind" and thought my dreams of being an Air Force pilot had just been dashed, I didn't pay too much attention to the Lantern test as I don't remember being advised that a pass in that would be sufficient. It took me 14 years but I went and had the full testing done as I just wanted to confirm whether I could progress to Night VFR or not. Turns out I wasn't as "colour blind" as initially thought and passed the Lantern test with 100%. Spend the money to get tested as early as possible, it may save you years of heartache of thinking you're not permitted to do something that you may actually be able to do. Cheers, Matt.

Hi Dave, In the early days they used to set up a campsite in one of the many paddocks surrounding the airfield. In the past couple of events they've moved it to Lara (about 10km away) and I believe it's located at one of the footy grounds. Shuttle buses are provided to get you to / from the site. Cheers, Matt.

After a much talked about break from flying it's now time to start racking the hours (and trip reports!) up again. This weekend Kaz and I were moving houses again (a long and not very entertaining trip report!) to our new base at Sunbury and weren't sure whether the pile of boxes needing to be unpacked and the dodgy Melbourne weather would prevent some much needed airtime. Thankfully the gods (Kaz and the weather) were on side and we decided to spend some time on Sunday exploring some of the local scenery around Sunbury and Gisborne, as well as pop up to Bendigo for a quick visit and to get some fuel. Under grey skies (it is Melbourne after all!) a glance towards Mt Macedon from the field confirmed we had sufficient headroom to get airborne - if you can see the top of the mountain, you've got just over 2000' ground clearance. We departed Penfield and tracked towards Gisborne making sure I didn't climb up into the CTA step which is 1300' above Penfield. We did a quick orbit of Gisborne and took a few pictures of our block of land and then headed towards Kyneton then on to Bendigo. Inbound to Bendigo we hear a couple of Nanchangs departing for some formation "adventure" flying and make sure we keep in touch to ensure separation - very difficult to see a dark green Nanchang against a dark green background - and it wasn't until they were above the horizon that we actually got them sighted. We join crosswind for an uneventful landing and roll up to the bowser for some sticker shock - $1.74 per litre for AVGAS. Methinks the locals make their money from fuel surcharge which is why they don't charge a landing fee! Anyway, after refueling we wander off to find somewhere to defuel ourselves. On our return we're greeted by a couple of friendly locals in Ray and Lawry. Ray runs the recreational flying school there and Lawry is a keen flyer (and talker!) with a Tiger Moth, an Auster rebuild project and what sounds like a squadron of other bits and pieces. Ray kindly offers us a cuppa and a chocolate and we spend a few hours chatting about various incidents which have occured at Bendigo and generally everything flying related. Thanks Ray and Lawry, we appreciated the hospitality and we'll definitely drop in for a cuppa and a chat next time we're up Bendigo way...recommend it to anyone else heading up that way too :thumb_up: Time to head back as we were planning on meeting up with another new friend on our return to Penfield. On return to Penfield we meet up with a new friend Chris Oborn. Not sure if I've told the story anywhere here before but we met Chris about a month back as he was eyeing off our new block of land. As we start chatting I discover Chris is also keen aviator looking for a block big enough for a shed big enough to build an RV8...also turn out he's just started as a Captain with Jetstar having just returned from 7 years in Hong Kong flying 747's with Lion Air and was an Air Force pilot (mostly instructing) for 12 years before that. He was keen to hear that we have a CT4 and even more keen when I asked if he'd be interested in going for a fly together one day. Well that day was yesterday, initially Chris thought he'd just walk around, kick the tyres, smell the interior and remember the good old days. When I said, "well get in and lets go", he was like a 3 year old being offered a new toy. We started off just heading out towards Melton into clearer air and after a few minutes of rattling off performance specs, attitudes, airspeeds, power settings and checklists without pausing we agreed that some things you just never forget. It had been 15 years since he'd flown a CT4 and had flown everything from Macchis, PC9s, Falcon VIP jets, 747s, A320s amongst a list of others but everything came flooding back...it was time for some fun! How about an introduction to aerobatics he asks? Absolutely! So we headed down to the training area and the aerobatics box at Point Cook and proceeded to show me what a CT4 can really do. We started with steep turns (to 90 degrees), accelerated / powered stalls, wing overs - military style - to get used to speeds, attitudes and control inputs, then into rolling maneuvers - aileron and barrel rolls before getting into loops and then stringing sequences together. It would have to be some of the most enjoyable flying I have ever experienced. After an hour or so the cloud base was getting a bit too low for safety margin and we head back to Penfield, chatting all the way back about how much fun it was, how he missed "pure" flying like that after years behind the "desk" of an airliner. He has kindly volunteered his time to teach and get me endorsed for each aerobatic maneuver the CT4 is capable of as well as formation flying and more than likely Night and IFR ratings in the future...need to get the CT4 IFR rated ;). Curious about my performance from someone with Chris' experience I asked for feedback on my flying in all aspects and was pretty happy to hear that my overall flying skills and airmanship were of a high standard for a private pilot with the frequency of flying I do (about 125 hours per year) and that "he'd seen plenty of people fly a CT4 worse who are now flying Hornets"... We've had the CT4 for about 11 months now and I've got about 120 hours on type. After yesterday's flight I have an even greater appreciation for both my and my aircraft's capabilities. I haven't had the opportunity to fly with anyone who has so much experience on the type and felt very comfortable exploring the boundaries of my skills and the aircraft - I'm confident we haven't come close to the latter yet! To say that I'm looking forward to my next lesson is an understatement...:big_grin: Oh yeah - no pictures this time...was kinda busy! Will have video next time, gotta record my progress!

Hi Sean, I don't think i've missed an Avalon show yet and I can thoroughly recommend going, it's a great experience. In an effort to answer your questions: 1. Accommodation: Geelong is the closest city to Avalon with plenty of hotels. Werribee is the next largest city (really a big town) for accommodation, but you can also try Lara although pickings would be slim there. 2. Transportation: Fly in if you can! An airfield known as Avalon East is established for the duration of the airshow running parallel runway ops for private and charter operations. Public transport is pretty good with special trains running to the closest local station (Lara) then shuttle bus to the airfield. Driving from either Geelong or Melbourne side is actually not too bad if you time it well - i.e. get in earlier, leave later than Average Joe Public. 3. Tickets: I've had the priviledge of Gold Pass and other than a grandstand seat which doesn't really offer much more viewing pleasure than a fold up chair anywhere on the expansive site, I'm not sure of the value of the extra cost. Go general entry. If you're a pilot or have some affiliation with something to do with the aviation industry (supplier etc.) you can get in on the trade days - cost is same but crowds are much smaller than the weekend - the displays during the week are essentially all the fast, heavy & noisy bits from the weekend programme. 4. Booking: anytime, I'm yet to hear of it selling out with the exception of the Gold Passes. If you go general entry, show up at the gate with cash in hand or buy from Ticketek anytime before you arrive. Now...where's my commission from Airshows Downunder ;) Cheers, Matt.

Time for a poll - find out how many of us on the forum actually work in the IT industry, I'd be surprised if there weren't more than 20 or 30 members who have some involvement in the industry either through web design, system engineering, management etc. Oh yeah, I'm one of them. 13 years in the industry with a variety of experience. >PS: While you're considering what a pain technology is, how things aren't made to last etc. calculate what % of your income any of the items above cost you i.e. car, TV, fridge etc. and compare to 10, 20, 30 years ago. I think you'll find that as Yenn has said (and my parents and grand parents agree), we've never had it so good. Cheers, Matt.

Hi Dracer, I also have a colour perception deficiency (the technical and more accurate term). There are 2 accepted testing methods for aircrew (civil or military) being the Ishihara plates (coloured dots) and the lantern - which is a mechanism which is a simulation of aircraft lights at night as well as tower light gun signals. I am what the miliary categorise as Class 2 - I can't pass the Ishihara plates but I can pass the lantern test and this is acceptable for ADF aircrew. The ICAO and Australian civil standard is that if you can pass one of these tests (usually if you can pass the Ishihara test you won't be tested with the lantern) then you can obtain a Class 1 medical and therefore progress all the way up to ATPL. There are plenty of wives tales, myths and other mis-truths about colour perception in aviation - best thing to do is check the regulations. Cheers, Matt.

G'day Terry - it's a very small world, we had dinner and a few drinks at the Lakeside on Saturday night. Cheers, Matt.

Thanks very much Shelly, appreciate your comments. As a long term subscriber to Australian Flying I'm happy to donate my winnings to Kieth for his special mention and great Temora shots. Cheers, Matt.

That'd be the "which part of contact the tower when number 1 at the holding point don't you understand?!?!?!" discussion that was going on in our cockpit as one after another each aircraft in front of us contacted ground instead of the tower...why is it that the simplest instructions seem to be the hardest to follow :confused:

Hi Jenny, everyone is welcome here!...oh, and thanks so much to you and the rest of the guys in the tower for letting us scrape in on Sunday morning :thumb_up: it was very much appreciated. I'm pretty sure Karen has also sent a thanks email to you all as well. Cheers, Matt CT4 VH-MCT

Hi Jenny, yep we made the airshow and it was a great day...check out the Trip Report thread for our report with contributions from a few others. Cheers, Matt.

April 10, 2008 05:59am Article from: AAP Font size: + - Send this article: Print Email A FREIGHT plane is missing after taking off from Sydney airport overnight. The Metroliner aircraft operated by Airtex Aviation was occupied only by the male pilot and took off from Sydney bound for Brisbane at 11.30pm (AEST) yesterday, a Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman said. "Ten nautical miles (18.5km) south-east of the airport, air traffic control got a broadcast from the pilot that he was having problems," the spokesman said. "Shortly after that the aircraft disappeared off the radar at about 4000 feet (1219 metres)." The aircraft's last reported location puts the Metroliner off the coast from Bundeena in the Royal National Park where a search operation has concentrated its efforts overnight. A number of parcels, believed to have been aboard the aircraft, have been found in the water, a NSW Police spokesman said. "Polair have spotted an oil slick in the water," the police spokesman said. "Water police, Polair and a Sea Hawk helicopter have spent the night searching in an operation run by the Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Canberra." The Metroliner, a 19-seat aircraft when used as a passenger plane, is believed to have been on a mail run. "This particular aircraft was first registered in Australia in February 1998," the CASA spokesman said. "We don't know what the problem was the pilot was alluding to, he didn't give any details in his broadcast, but obviously that is something we will look into as part of our investigations."

Alrighty then - we have the CT4 back and plan on spending Sunday in the air and looking for a destination - potentially a visit to one or some of the local airfields around Melbourne - who's going to be around on Sunday or who's keen on meeting up somewhere for a coffee/feed/chat etc.?

Aye capt'n we'll be there. In fact there's quite a few people we know going who are all members of the Antiquers. We'll be heading up either Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, camping overnight and heading home Sunday afternoon.

That'd be one of the exemptions in the CASA regulations for LIMITED (ex-Military) aircraft I was speaking of. Specific regulation for LIMITED category aircraft stipulates markings of at least 50 mm and only to be on each side of vertical tail or side/outer surfaces...the actual regulation is much more wordy and confusing. The intent is to minimise the impact on the original "look" of the aircraft of applying registration marks.

...and thus confirming the world really is a small place theory! Thanks for the pic Ken, must say the paint looks better from 2000' up ...the new canopy and prop make the 32 year old paint job look just that much worse ...oh well, something for the "to do" list

Bloody pus'ers can't keep them from flogging the "senior citizen service" bit Air Force - civvies in uniform - way to go!