Matt

I vote for Philthy's pic ;)

Hmmm, looks familiar...might that have been at Kyneton last weekend...

G'day Shags, I've been through this testing and was in the same boat regarding what to expect. The maths aspects of the testing isn't too onerous, most of the questions are time/distance/speed situations. The others range of questions are generally logic sequences - numbers, shapes etc.

G'day Ben, sorry I missed saying g'day at Boort today, didn't even realise you were there until you'd gone and Kaz mentioned it. In response to your questions from Echuca: * CT4A is owned by Murray Wallace from Mt Macedon, it's based at Kyneton. * Lockheed 12 is owned by Doug Hamilton and based in Albury, was built in 1937. * P-40F is owned by Judy Pay. It's the only flying F model in the WORLD. * I'm pretty sure that Judy flew her Trojan in the show, the other Trojan belongs to and was flown by Ian Sylvester. * The other P-40 Kittyhawk is owned by Alan Arthur and was flown by Stephen Death, was built in 1943. If you need any other info from the weekend, just let us know - we know all the aircraft owners and display pilots pretty well. Cheers, Matt.

Anything I can do...hope the weather forecasters are more inaccurate that normal! The weather at Echuca last Saturday and Sunday was perfect...of course. Why is it that aviation events attract bad weather...

I'd recommend being on the ground by no later than 11:00 on Sunday as the air display starts at 11:30 and the airfield will be effectively closed during the display period (11:30 to 14:00). The intent of the 14:00 finish is just that, to allow for an orderly departure of aircraft who may have a 2-3 hour flight ahead of them...remembering that many of the antiquers have similar performance to RA-Aus machines. Kaz and I will be manning the Registration Desk over the weekend, so if you're flying in we'll be your first port of call and look forward to either catching up/meeting you. Albury!...Some people have long memories don't they?! ;-)

Yes it is! Some more details on the AAAA website which would be useful for pilots intending to fly-in. 33rd AAAA National Fly-in - Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia

If memory serves me, this use to consume space on the grass at Goulburn for a long period of time. I believe it was bought by a group wanting to do parachute ops at Goulburn but that all fell through for some reason or other. I'm sure one of the local Goulburnites will have more of the story.

Many other options to get the area and aerodrome forecast: 1. Airservices NAIPS Application 2. Airservices Pilot Briefing website: Airservices Australia -Flight Briefing-Pilot Briefing Services 3. The "Weather" page on this forum http://www.recreationalflying.com/forum/view.php?pg=weather 4. The Aviation pages on the BOM site

Thanks Watto, appreciate the feedback. Here's another one that's hosted on Facebook (You Tube's copyright identification seems to be more thorough than Facebook's) http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=70822808161

Which is why obtaining the latest ATIS is required prior to requesting clearance into a control zone or entering a GAAP. Weather will change, although it's unlikely QNH will change dramatically in a short period of time or sufficient to significantly impact VFR operations in Class G airspace. It is also worth noting that it is necessary to ensure your altimeter is within approved calibration tolerance to ensure that separation standards are maintained.

Pretty simple, all of this information is available in the AIP: Circuit Height: http://www.airservices.gov.au/publications/current/aip/enr/1_1_1-116.pdf An extract from the current AIP regarding Circuit Height: 57.3 Circuit Height 57.3.1 When operating at non−towered aerodromes, the following circuit heights are recommended: a. jets/turbo props/high performance aircraft, 1500FT AGL; b. typically single engine piston, 1000FT AGL; c. ultralights with a maximum speed of 55KTS and helicopters, 500FT AGL. NOTE: High performance aircraft are those that have a normal downwind speed of greater than 120 knots. 57.3.2 Circuit heights for aerodromes which have specific requirements are published in ERSA. Weather Forecast, Availability, Validity etc: http://www.airservices.gov.au/publications/current/aip/gen/3_5_25-36.pdf

You should have a current ARFOR and TAF prior to any flight, these forecasts are (generally) valid for a 24 hour period. Based on that, yes it will be current at the time you need it...assuming you have in fact in receipt of a current forecast...which is of course required prior to each flight. PS> This is all fundamental BAK and Navigation knowledge, I would expect anyone who has passed their BAK exam and has a Navigation endorsement would be aware of these requirements.

G'day Doug, For the CT4, there are no additional maintenance requirements based on percentage or hours of aerobatics conducted. The aircraft was designed as a military trainer and designed for a high utilization rate covering the full spectrum of flying operations. That being said, the maintenance schedule is far more comprehensive than that of your average Cessna or Piper.

Thanks Ross, appreciate the comments. Plenty of time goes into making them I gotta say, the best part is doing the flying to get the material :big_grin: Not sure about Yarrawonga this weekend, next planned outings are Temora at Easter then Echuca for the AAAA airshow.

English Watch Now!

Absolutely, current forecast for AREA30 (Vic) AREA 30 : AREA FORECAST and TAFs AREA30 (30) ARFOR AMEND AREA FORECAST 250500 TO 251700 AREA 30/32. AQNH AREA QNH 04/07 AREA 30/32: 1017 It's also in TAF for each aerodrome.

Airservices media release refers http://www.airservices.gov.au/media/pressreleases/pr_07.pdf while not a formal "closure" as such, it has been shifted to the relevant area frequency and workload moved from a dedicated flightwatch operator onto the area controller...call it what you will but the outcome is that the service isn't what it use to be. On the VFG issues, this is a CASA publication and isn't a controlled document like Airservices publications.

Flightwatch actually doesn't exist anymore either, hasn't since last year some time, hence the "flightwatch" guy getting cranky - the old flightwatch frequencies are no longer monitored by a dedicated operator, they are temporarily monitored by the relevant area controller...suspect that will stop in the not too distant future as it's been a while since those changes were implemented. The area controller MAY respond with details depending on workload etc. similar to flight following and other VFR services. There are a number of ways to obtain area QNH prior to and during your flight...preference is obviously prior to using ARFOR, local TAF etc. alternatively dial up your local ATIS or AWIS. Ultimately while the Airservices folks are handy for the "VFR in Class G" folks, their primary responsibility (and source of their funding) is commercial and IFR operations in controlled airspace. Workload permitting, they MAY be able to provide you with a service.

Yep, receive, read and recommend it. This magazine is distributed to the registered owner/operator of all VH registered aircraft...maybe RA-Aus should look at getting in on the act and distributing it to members.

Hi all, Can confirm 3 aircraft were turned over and a few others damaged following a squall at about 6.30 at Avalon last night. We had just left the field and were preparing to go out for dinner with Mick Poole and a few others from the Antiquers when many mobiles started ringing and the news came through. Aircraft we're aware of that were turned over were a Savannah, a Foxbat and a Gazelle. The RA-Aus tent was fine but our Antiquers tent, the World of Flight and SAAA tents were all lifted and strewn causing damage to a one of a kind aircraft called the Silver Century - a magnificent aircraft which had flown from Perth for the event. There was also a Renegade from Lethbridge that was lifted and landed on top of a Jabiru - the gear and left wings of the Renegade were severely damaged but the Jabiru was apparently only scratched. There were also reports of damage to a number of other aircraft including our friends Stinson known as "Grumpy" which came down on its right wing and has cracked the wing tip hoop. Mick Poole did a fantastic job of coordinating the clean up initial investigation, assess aircraft damage etc. There will be many pics of the mess come out in the coming days I'd suggest given the number of folks taking photos last night and this morning.

I've done the RAAF ones and these days they're all the same...these days you apply to be "Defence Aircrew" and select your service in order of preference. After all the testing, if you're successful, they then decide where to send you based on your aptitude. Regarding "aptitude", particularly cognitive skills and the like, this is something you're born with and can't necessarily "train"...in my opinion only of course. Having said that, I reckon if you're a PC gamer (first person shooter style and the like), this type of multi-tasking hand-eye coordination activity would probably improve your capability.

Interesting...guess it shows the variances in training, operating procedures, aircraft etc. The Parrot does have a slight air brake action going full fine but it's done after reducing power to 12-13" as you commence the base turn...as per the manual and it's only slight. Can understand that different aircraft have different procedures though. Interesting thread...

Thanks Mike, Curious about the "Landing and Circuit Operation" in 2.4, particularly the "check pitch reduction on finals". Having a GA CSU endorsement, my training and the few POH's I'm used to require transition to fine pitch during late downwind or during the base turn (base turn for the CT4). The theory being that in the event of a go round at any point on base or finals fine pitch is required to achieve the required power and response. This was consistent with the "manual variable pitch" prop we had in the Sportstar and the operating instructions for it. I would have thought that leaving it to finals might be leaving it a bit late and add an unnecessary task during this final crucial phase of flight. Question for the ops manual writers perhaps...

Hi Mike, Curious to know whether the Pioneer has a manifold pressure gauge to accompany the CSU. Also curious as to whether the RA-Aus CSU endorsement covers the theory of RPM and manifold pressure to achieve desired power, procedures for setting RPM & manifold pressure, emergency procedures if you have a CSU failure etc.