planet47

What annoys me is greedy councils demanding my pound of flesh for greasing one in my 172 when mr qantas and mr virgin slam in several times a day at signinficant subsidy to maintain RPT ops. I don't use the papi, lights nor the 2000m strip. I do however buy their $2.30/l avgas. As a ratepayer I contribute to the local economy. I don't use any of the 12 boat ramps in the community, but boaties don't get charged for each launch. I rarely go to the park, certainly don't frequent our town library, but these are free to all. But pop in to refuel and spent $400 to fill up and they hit you another $14 for the privledge? Certainly not the way to encourage tourism and visitors to the region. But wait.... we pilots are all rich and can afford such luxuries right? ........ Thanks for that post. The greedy local council here set a $10 landing fee or one could buy a block of 50 landings for $450. If you chose to go with the block of 50 landings the council decided to charge one GST on top of that but they had also decided to charge GST on top of the $10 landing fee so that fee suddenly became $11 per landing. During August the grass strip was closed for the whole month so in order to use the tarmac, I had to taxi past two cameras which charged me $10 each time, with the GST being added later on. Hence I got a bill for $220 for August which at the most should have been $110. The September bill was similar. The time between the two cameras was shown at the most as being 2 minutes apart. Phoning the groundsman in order to obtain a review of the bills was a completely new experience and two weeks later, he still hadn't done the review citing "I've got a bad back........", etc. Although I could never reproduce the twanging speech of the groundsman, the words of wisdom ran like this "you'll pay whatever we charge you......you're using our facility" and the belligerent attitude resulted in me writing a letter of complaint to the council. Twenty five minutes after dropping the letter in by hand I received a phone call from the council and they had reviewed the bills and would issue a credit note. At the time of writing the letter, I informed the council that I had not received a schedule of their fees for the current financial year so they kindly sent me one. The schedule indicated the landing fee to be $10 and that it included GST so why the $11 fee. I decided to pay the relevant landing fees at $10 per landing only and see where it went from there. I got a phone call from the accounts department at the council because they couldn't reconcile what they felt I owed to what I paid so I told the guy that I was paying it at $10 per landing because their schedule indicated the GST was included. Many questions later, I received another phone call from this guy to say that they would waive the extra $1 for the remainder of the financial year. Issues remain ie weight of aircraft eg mine weighs 250kg fully laden and is a single seat from which I do not derive an income. A freight plane comes in twice a day for 312 days of the year and pays approx $4 per landing or $7 per landing if you are an airline passenger. Equity of access!!!!!

A better time of year to be travelling out that way at Easter. You would have to be a very early bird or a much later bird at the moment!

Regardless I appreciated the kites and the singing!!!!

Nice story - thanks for bringing it to notice on the forum. I often miss stuff on TV cause of shift work.

Finally - some clarification!

Different! No telltale pictures then?

Hmmm low and slow! I've got no idea why you want to look a kangaroo in the eye in any plane as I never liked looking big reds in the eye just before I hit them in my car and many close calls with them over years spent in Sticksville. Used to fly from Warnervale about 3 years ago and you had to be careful there with kangaroos mostly depending on what side of the runway they were on because they all took off into the scrub on the western side and this also depended on the time of day. Checking out the texture of leaves on trees - well I think I have done that a few times when I am using strips along the coast here but I don't really feel the need to get up close and personal. However I use a group of trees along the side of a grass strip that I frequent to give me lift. Recent use of prevailing winds saw me take off over a region of trees that was very thick with leaves, twigs and branches, which I had never used before on a heading for a coastal beach in case something happened all because I had to get back to the hangar so I could get to work. Comments at departure from acquaintances were along the lines of "is there anyone you want us to call". I don't know if that fits the low category or whether it has to be sustained for an undetermined period of time. On the other hand - slow!!!. A quicksilver with a 447 = slow.

Just how low and slow are we talking?

That is really sad - as DGL Fox said there is always one in the crowd. Don't let the actions of a &@#! spoil the story that so many of us are enjoying! More Jack Flyer for me please.

After my first solo flight yesterday I had already planned to create a photo such as this - to represent my momentous milestone for 2013. That is a clever take on going solo - congratulations!!!

A mere technicality.

Great story!!!!

Got to be careful not to choke on the popcorn.

No - no disdain for legends but the original question related to a statement on your blog/avatar and your aspirations to meet/greet Jasmin

Hardly - I live in NSW and I don't make a habit of having a beer with "legends"! :-0

I have a view on cats and it ain't pretty

Bloody big legend - wonder where Maj Millard rates in that scale of legendary wrestlers of felines ;-) if there is such a thing!

So does that make a "cat lover" a legend?

No "flaming" but remain curious about a "legend" who has "harmfull armfull" of cats not having the bejesus scratched out of him. I think it might be more like a "carving".

Armfuls?

haha missed that! good one, now to sit back and watch ;) Watch what? He's probably still scratching his head thinking of a reply that he can put on here without incurring wrath.

planet 47...The plane I soloed in !......back in 1986..... 447 powered....do you know Neville White he flys one also.............................Maj... No I don't know Neville White. My own quicksilver did not fly till 1989 and I have owned it since May 2012. Two previous owners - first from Cohuna, Victoria and the second from near Bordertown, South Australia. Could you explain for me the statement "heros' come and go....but legends get more pussy !" Just curious!

GT400 - single place:jive:

Can we get Jasmin on forum to tell her side of the story?......pretty please, please !!..........................Maj... PS: she can take me for a ride in my Lightwing too !.........please, please..just the name turns me on ! not the fact she flys bloody freighters for kicks !!!!!!!!.......... How desperate you do sound......tsk tsk!!!!

I don't know why you are all picking on Jasmin. She didn't break anything... No she didn't. Like I said previously it could have been worse but it wasn't. But I think I know now what caused the incident at Old Bar - big bras and small knickers on clothes lines at the nearby caravan park!