GDL

What? They haven't answered any of my emails. They didn't answer the phones for others. What is going on. Did they explain anything? Thanks for doing that, Mike.

Maj, I had heard vague rumors about the unreliability of the 618. You see them on aircraft around here (that is North America) occasionally. The 582 could be unreliable at times (especially compared to 503) if the pilot mishandled. I had a Rans burn a piston when the pilot got it hot then pulled the power off to cool. I like your thoughts about KISS on engines, although I would prefer a fuel injection system on Rotas engines to get rid of carb balancing & icing (not usually a problem but very occasionally)).

The flying school in Portugal had an X Air with a Jabiru 2200 (before I got there) and according to my instructor tended to shed parts around the circuit. They gave up when the engine lost a piston at the critical part of the circuit. Interesting about the 618. Of the 2-strokes (I have perhaps 50 hrs total time on them) I really like the 503 but of course most 2-place aircraft are underpowered. Sounds like the 618 had great power. In the US, you see a lot of other Rotax snowmobile engines being used - 670 and the like. They produce huge amounts of power but I would be afraid of their reliability. After all, we are in the air and parking by the cloud is not usually an option :)

Hi Graham. Sucks when a plane you want to buy turns out to be not what you expect. I had that happen on my first purchase. Was suppose to be ready to fly & wasn't. Bought it anyway and didn't regret but was choked at the time. What was the 618 like? I have flown behind 503 and 582 engines but never the 618. Don't see many in North America because only sold for a few years. The 912 on the X Air I flew really wasn't completely suitable. Too much power and at low rpm in the air bounced the plane around with the prop wash. But comfortable plane to fly most of the time.

Me too. Ahh well, the world continues to turn, despite the loss of the school(s). :)

Wow. And I thought parts of Canada were sleazy. Lets hope the hangar owner never gets another renter. And I can feel for flight schools. When I had my school I lived on subsistence for most of my 8 years. The nature of the beast I think. But many schools in the area, and presumably they are allowed 'fam' flights to take up tourists. Fam flights were the only way we were allowed to take passengers (i.e. non-students).

Hi JG. The response here to all my questions has been super. Lots of good & interesting info. Makes coming to Australia that much easier. I think the problems in Caloundra probably relate to the problems the airfield was having (for a while it seemed ti would disappear). But lots of schools in the area, and unlike my part of Canada, close by. I am envious by the riches in flying in Australia. My hats off to all of you that contribute to it. GA flying in Canada is slowly disappearing.

Hi Shane. An interesting illustration. And I feel for your aunt. I think in general agencies run by governments (direct or indirect) tend to drown in their own bureaucracy, their own biases (I have other thoughts but they are impolite).

Hi Peter. Sorry, I was probably not clear on the passenger carrying endorsement. I was a flight instructor for 8 years. This meant I carried students, potential students, and the like, in my plane. As with most instructors in Canada, I believed that the experience entitled me to a passenger endorsement since I was essentially carrying passengers, in a manner consistent (documentation, training, procedures) with passenger carrying. Transport Canada agreed but said that their rules dictated that I go out and get an endorsement. That's silly.

Thanks Wilbourne for the info. I am not sure I want to go that far but I will look into. I have a little tail dragger time - just enough to know how little I know. I love grass strips - easy on the plane and pilot, and what I learned on originally. Do you know anything about the FK9? I have seen pictures but never seen one in person.

I tried several times to get hold of Freeflying Emerald. Couple of emails & nothing. Several other people tried to phone them on my behalf (some not in this thread) and they got nothing as well. I will look for their email. Thanks for your efforts.

Mark, thanks for that. In Canada there is no endorsement for CSU and AP (or for floats or flying boats or skis or anything like that). The only 2 endorsements are for Instructor rating & passenger carrying which I have both. Don't ask me why I need a passenger carrying endorsement when I am an instructor - it is still a sore point with me. TC is not the most rational government organization in the world (perhaps rational & government are oxymorons). I have used constant speed before in Cessnas but never an Autopilot. Would be interesting.

I am not familiar with the terms CSU or AP. What are both?

Do you have the F or H model? I flew the F model with a 912 and it was a strange handling machine at low power settings - mostly from the prop wash. This plane cruised at no more than 55 kts (but then the school limited us students to 4400 rpm). I was bothered by wind when I started out but now I look at it as a challenge (keeping in mind that I never exceed my or the plane's limits). On the other hand, it is certainly restful and peaceful flying under ideal (i.e. no wind) conditions occasionally. I am also going through the process of finding a faster plane than my Rans (~85 kts). But cost is the problem. We are a little more lucky than your in Australia because no import duties anymore for bringing in US LSA aircraft. And as the US economy sinks, so does the price of used aircraft. But still very expensive and currently beyond my means.

This was the strangest weather year I have seen and I have lived all my life in BC. I spent last week (when normally the weather is reasonable) watching winds of 50-60 kts, water spouts on the lake (a line of 5 of them at one point), and trying to hold down a floatplane that threatened to flip (it didn't). Not the best weather for ultralights, LSAs, microlights, or man or beast. My limit is -10, and even at that is not comfortable since my heater barely keeps my feet warm. David, I think your daughter underestimated the pace of weather change. I think it went from good to bad in a blink of the eye. I live up the coast a bit (150km) and it took about 2 days to get ugly. DJP, what's the deal about Canadian aerobatics? If it is screwed up as the rest of aviation here (despite our wide open spaces over much of the country) it must be bad. My doctor (aerobatic pilot and unfortunately badly hurt in a show crash earlier this year) has never said much about regs.