Lamiunto

There is no way on this planet that that video is real! Still very funny though.

Nope, not working

One problem with a single body that manages all of recreational flying is whether that body will have the financial and human resources to manage all of it. Plus have the legal clout when it comes to regulations and then have enough diversity in the management area to make sure every type of recreational flying is catered for. In the end, it would just become another CASA, only they would have control over a smaller group of pilots and much smaller aircraft. By all means, merge, become larger, stand up to CASA, but will the organisation have the cash and management power to oversee the management of a diverse community such as ours? With the RAA and SAAA stretched out pretty thin at the moment already, think about tripling the size the community with only a fractional increase in size at management, it is a recipe for disaster.

The best option in my opinion would be to have an electronic and print version available. A lot of magazines offer you the choice, you can have an electronic copy, or a printed one, or even both. Generally, if you request an electronic one, that is all you get, if you request a printed one, you receive the electronic one as well. As for actually making the PDF, the "editor" simply saves it as a PDF, or exports it, depending on what they use, and as far as I know, Adobe InDesign CS is the industry standard.

Very good idea there Ian. What can be done at the moment without any worries, is to have a database containing article titles and in which magazine they can be found. You would just design the database and the scripts to allow for the full article to be added later on if you do get permission. To validate whether a person can have access, I think you could just ask them for their membership ID, and then by some way, either interfacing this site with membership records of RAA, you can give a person permissions to access the database. Just some random ideas. :P

I personally hate reading extensive documents on my PC, even though I have an LCD, with brightness adjusted quite far down, it is just too much strain on my eyes. And then, opening a PDF, scrolling down through the ads until your fingers hurt, not nice either. I prefer a print copy, you can have all your magazines stockpiled in your room on the bookshelf, and if you ever want to show someone something from a past edition, you just go and get it, instead of having to search through a 200gb hard drive.

Andy, (with a lot of respect to Tony) I agree with you completely. I have never been one to give in to conspiracies, or believing that the powers that be are out to get you. So, in relation to this, I believe that since CASA seems to be restructuring almost everything, they believe it is time to streamline their operation and get everything into nice readable and organised piles of information. Now they can simply say, for example, part 103 and 149, off to the ultralight industry pile, simple as that. At the moment, they have to gather all the exemptions, together and hope that they have found everything. Just because something "may" or "can" happen down the line doesn't mean it will. Why, on this earth, would CASA want to disturb or break down the fastest growing area of aviation on the planet, not just in Australia? Australia started it, and now it is moving it up further, leading the pack for the rest of the world to follow (I hope). Like I heard one of the others students at my school say, CASA is not the big evil monster that some believe, they actually really are just there to look out for the best interest of the whole country, and they may do that slowly at times, but they do get there in the end. If you look at other areas that CASA is working on, it actively says it wants to take more of an active roll in RPT and even hand over GA to self-administration, now why would they be doing that, spending all that money on reforming everything, if they wanted to turn around and destroy the sport and recreational industry?

Ok, so the current 95 series is being re-drafted into part 103, with some added benefits. But now that it is a CASR part, if CASA decides to make a change to the part we really don't have much of a say? So CASA really didn't have much power over the recreational industry while it was governed by the 95 series ordinances, but now that it has become a CASA document, they pretty much have a stranglehold on the industry?

Tony, I am pretty new to all of this, so bear with me while I learn the ins and outs of politics combined with aviation. :black_eye: So what you are saying is, that the 95 series of documents could be protected from change by the aviators, but a CASR part can be changed on a whim by CASA? Pretty dumb questions, but I have to learn sometime. :;)3:

ozzie, I am trying to see in Part 103 where your rights as a 'grass-roots' pilot are being removed. I have gone through the document dozens of times, and as far as I can tell, it is all pretty much the same, just giving us more privileges and allowing people more freedom. You mentioned stall speeds once before, somewhere, I can't remember where, but in 103, it says for a powered aircraft, the stall stall speed must be no more than 45kts, which means anything in between. Then there is a section for low momentum ultralights, with only 1 seat and an MTOW of 300kg, it doesn't even mention a stall speed requirement in this section. In the case of the height you are allowed to fly, it mentions that you may not fly less than 1000ft above the highest obstacle within a 300m radius where your aircraft is over the ground, in a built-up area. That part is pretty normal in my opinion. Then. No less than 500ft above the highest obstacle in a 300m radius where your aircraft is over the ground, in a non-built-up area. This is where something else happens, (3) Subregulation (2) does not apply to an aeroplane or rotorcraft that: (a) is being operated for the direct purpose of a task authorised by the owner of, or a person having legal control over, the land over which the aircraft is flying; and (b) is carrying only people necessary for the task. (Subregulation 2 was the 500ft requirement), So if you own the land which you are flying over, you can fly at any altitude. I have a feeling I am missing your point entirely, can you please explain to me, where specifically in part 103 are your rights being removed.

Sorry Brent, if I am intruding. Adam, you don't need to beat CASA initially. A person with Type 1 Diabetes can get a class 2 medical provided they meat certain medical criteria. The criteria are here in the DAME handbook: http://casa.gov.au/manuals/regulate/dame/080r0204.pdf On page 6 you will see some requirements for all diabetic pilots, whether it be type 1 or 2. On page 7, in section 3, you will see information specific to Type 1 applicants. The criteria aren't too hard to conform to, it is actually just the normal ranges that all diabetic people should be controlling themselves within, and is where most clinics will train newly diagnosed people to keep their sugars. The only problem with type 1 diabetes, is that newly diagnosed people go through a very rough period in management which lasts up to 5 years, where their body goes through many internal conflicts and makes it extremely difficult to manage. So most DAME's won't certify a pilot if they are newly diagnosed and will ask the applicant to wait at least a year before they try again. The fight starts when you believe that the "as or with co-pilot" restriction on your medical is not needed anymore. That is when you need to battle it out with CASA and prove to them, beyond any doubt, that you have less than a 1% chance of being even partially incapacitated in flight. By the way, it is Roger Serong who beat CASA. :big_grin:

Those prices are fantastic Andy, our Aero club here in Mackay doesn't own any aircraft (as far as I know) which is probably why we only pay $11 per year for membership. I think it is mainly been that way because we have never had an FTF here in Mackay, and now that one is on its way, things should start to look up, the Aero Club is also starting to get their act together, so hopefully we can see them purchase a Jab soon, and then be clever enough to be able to work out a pricing scheme similar to yours, it would be great, we have some nice scenery up here that I would just love to see.

Yup, there is always something to come and bite you in the backside. As long as I can fly, I am a happy camper.

Yup, I read that article, it was in the DAME newsletter, the flight safety mag, and the australian aviation mag. It took him a good 10 years though. I would be delighted to get in contact with him, but at the moment, I am not interested in a fight with CASA, or even taking on the dreaded medical, I just want to fly. Next year when I have almost a years worth of blood sugar logs, all the test reports and enough cash to go for a host of ecg's and stuff, I will look heavily into it. I am not giving up on GA, I am just taking an alternate route. Thanks for the info.

Adam, it's type 1 diabetes. While I am fully within the CASA standards for controlling it, I simply don't have the $1000 to fork out for a class 2 medical, which then comes with the 'as or with co-pilot only' restriction. I might be going for it next year when I have enough cash, but at the moment I simply don't have that amount of money lying around, and then chancing it on the fact that CASA might just turn around and say no, simply because one of my reports state I am 0.1% over for something. I wouldn't know what that something would be because I am going to be examined with more scrutiny than someone going for a class 1 medical. Since all my RAAus hours count to a PPL, I find that it is the best method for me at the moment. When I do go for my medical, I already have my SPL so it would just be some higher air work in a C172 and then to pass some CASA exams and I would get my PPL. But at the moment I simply don't have the funds to risk.