fly_tornado

the saaa.com website is also terrible. but they do have their magazine available to read

I just assume if you strike a tree with a gyrocopter's blade, the rotor stops spinning and it/you stop flying pretty quick

have a poke around http://www.EAA.org

It depends if you see the RAA's role as a regulator or a promoter really. I think the RAA needs to be more of a promoter

I wouldn't fly low over the water, catch a wheel on a freak wave and you could well drown before you get out of your harness. flying low over the beach doesn't look that dangerous, there is little elevation change and no large trees to catch you out.

RAA web presence is terrible. their/our website looks like something from the 1990s. If I was going to fix the RAA I would start there.

flying between trees in an isolated area looks like a recipe for disaster, legal or otherwise

have a look @ the vector thrust RC planes. they are fixed fans and the nozzle moves on 2 axis. the problem with your design is if the CV joint fails that will leave the aircraft really unstable.

drifters have been a popular training aircraft for a while. starting with a small aircraft has advantages, slower circuit speeds is one. Going from a Drifter to a Jabiru 160 seems like luxury

wait until you fly in a drifter...

I think the yanks have the right idea: put the word sport in the title and it sounds a lot more dynamic and healthy. sport pilot, sport plane.

As a newcomer I have noticed, amongst people that I have told about my new hobby, that there is a real stigma still associated with flying ultralights. Maybe the problem is that the general public only reads about RAA and GA planes when they crash. I have also noticed that Australians seem interested in something when its competitive.

You appear to be holding a trophy in one of those photos.

looks like it was filmed in the USA by a trained stuntman under supervised conditions

Time: Early this year

Where: Oakey Fly in

I was with my sister and friend @ the Oakey Base checking out Tony Blair's Extra 300 on the tarmac, pointing out the bits and peices on a aerobatic plane. I am showing them the triangular sight on the left wing tip when a teenage army cadet comes over and tells everyone that is an antenna, I asked him where the wires where and he gave me a blank look. Was pretty funny as we went around to the right side I pointed out the antenna on the fuselage base to everyone...

don't forget the miners, a lot of those open pit mines are all full of water logged equipment...

mine arrived today along with a 3000' VSI from ebay. a double good postal day

having it in the terminal was a brilliant idea. I remember seeing it as a child. Everyone drives past it now and younger ones wouldn't know it was there...

I can't say I visit a newsagent on a regular basis, maybe once or twice a year. The internet is the best thing to happen to recreational aviation.

The other thing is grass roots activism: inviting friends and relatives that don't fly to go flying. I also donate my old RAA mags to my brother, who is a retired hang glider pilot and has 3 boys.

the EAA has the right idea, throw lots of money into the web: http://www.sportaviationonline.org/

Some awesome looking mountains

[media=vimeo]8064468[/media]

Flying a Drifter is like herding cats when its windy or thermalling. It's a quick way to get confidence in your skills.

I remember reading somewhere that if the bolts where torqued up with oil on them that could cause them to fail due to overtorquing. The idea being a dry bolt is harder to rotate to the correct torque. I was told by an old mechanic to always oil the bolts to make it easier for the next guy. Maybe because Jabirus aren't built with cast blocks has some contribution to this sort of failure.

that more sales speil than anything, what I find interesting about rotax is that they always start of producing engines for bike companies and once the production run is established the manufacturer drops Rotax. both BMW and Aprilia have done that. Buell used Rotax until there demise. I think KTM also use Rotax engines. I think one day Rotax is going to run out of companies.

That's what I have been told too. there are a lot of 503 parts in the snowmobile section of ebay.

link?

I looked @ PWC engines in my Tornados for a bit and realised that no one was using them and didn't want to be the first. Plus the lure of a big BMW twin in a plane was strong...