farri

Maybe not what you want to know but!... I`ve been asked this question many times, over the years and my answer is still the same today...Workout exactly what you want to do and what you want from the aircraft then go and find the aircraft that will do it. Regardless of any information give here, if you don`t know or are not sure of what you want from the aircraft, how can you decide which one is best for you? Frank.

Don`t know if you`ve seen these so take a look at page 15, post, # 288, #294...That Croc was shot by the Authorities and they put it out to the media that it was the one that got Warren....Up here, those of us who know better know that it is very highly unlikely, that was the one that got Warren...Take a look at my post # 300. Coincidently, I`ve just learnt tonight that a big Croc that took a dog in front of it`s owners, when they were taking it for a walk around their rural property on the bank of the North Johnstone river, the weeked that Warren was taken, has been taken care of, I can`t say who took care of it, but I can say it wont be harming anyone or thing, anymore. By the way! The owners of the dog were able to take a photo of the Croc with the dog in it`s mouth and they released the photo to the media. The weekend Warren was taken, 2 dogs were taken off the Northern beaches of Cairns, the dog, in the North Johnstone River and a stupid young guy who jumped of the public jetty in Innisfail, to impress his mates, landed straight in the jaws of the waiting Croc, he managed to get it to let go, but he was badly injured...In the last couple of weeks, 3 Crocs` have had to be taken out of stinger nets that are put off the beaches to protect swimmers! There is a way to take care of a Croc, that I can`t mention here, it`s lethal and it doesn`t need an weapon...I reckon if the Authorities don`t start to take some serious action, there will be more taken care of, illegally. Frank.

Someone in our area has had enough of the Crocodiles...Some unknown person shot this Croc, illegally, about 2 or 3 nights ago, the white spot in the middle of the head, is the bullet hole...A dead Croc sinks to the bottom then it takes a couple of days for it to come to the surface, due to the buildup of gas in it`s body. A local neighbour who has his boat moored in the Mulgrave river, in front of his house, half a kilometer up the road, saw the dead Croc being pushed along by the tide and came and got me...I took the photos. As I was at the boat, with the owner, taking photos, a local doctor and his lady partner turned up to have a look...It turned out she was the lady who was in the water with her friend when her friend was taken by a Croc...The lady looked at the Croc, went back up on the bank, sat down and cried. Human remains found inside crocodile caught in far north Queensland Frank.

Thanks Richard...Merry Christmas!

G`Day Richard ........Because of your post, I`ve taken the time to go back through all of the previous posts, in case I missed something...I can`t find anything that anyone has said, that to my way of thinking, is making fun of the pilot or the accident...What have I missed, if anything? B.P. You`re not going to be a, "closet reader," are you? . Frank.

A guy I`ve known for many years, owns and flies a WB Drifter...He wears a helmet with full face visor (not a full face helmet) and has flown off my property many times...On this particular day,he`d taken off, got to the point where he was committed to keep flying and a very large Dragon Fly went up under the visor and was fluttering all over his face...He said he was in a fair bit of difficulty trying to see where he was going, fly the plane and try to get the Dragon Fly out...Thankfully! it ended well. One that didn`t end so well...I recall reading about an accident that occurred in the days of the AUF...This poor guy was on his first solo Nav exercise and if I recall correctly, he was flying a Drifter...He became so confused about where he was that he decided to get down low enough to try and look for some road signs, unfortunately, he hit a power line! He was wearing a helmet and the strap of the helmet cut his throat badly...He was fortunate to survive. I tried a wearing a helmet when I started flying, didn`t like it for several reasons...Not enough up and down, left and right, head movement and the vision not good enough through a visor...I modified my windscreen so that the wind goes up over my head and I have clear vision in all the directions I need. I often wonder how many forced landings end in disaster because of poor vision, either due to the design of the AC or other factors. I rode motorbikes, on the highway for years without a helmet before they became compulsory and for years with a helmet after they became compulsory, didn`t like it there either, for much the same reasons, I`ve given above. Frank.

I didn`t say "an increase in broken necks" This is exactly what I did say..."A good fitting,quality helmet may well give better head protection in the event of crashing your aircraft, but it may well break your neck, at impact, as the mass of the helmet and your head will continue traveling in that direction,unless restrained."...As far as I`m concerned,that`s a fact and everyone needs to be aware of what I`ve said, when making a decision on wearing a helmet. As for the stats! You`ve talked about "crashing your aircraft" ...For the types of aircraft that most of us recreational pilots fly, show me the stats where wearing a helmet has definitely saved the pilots life,when crashing their aircraft... If not all, almost all crashes are fatal, on impact. I`m not opposed to anyone choosing to wear a helmet, when flying...I choose not to. Frank.

A good fitting,quality helmet may well give better head protection in the event of crashing your aircraft, but it may well break your neck, at impact, as the mass of the helmet and your head will continue traveling in that direction,unless restrained. Frank.

Hi SSCBD, My younger than I, old mate!...Now that you`ve brought that up, I recall a guy, many years ago, doing a beautiful maneuver, in a draggy old Thruster at 500` agl, I was so impressed, I`ve never forgotten it....... :whisper:As you were there, can you recall who it was? Another thing I`ll never forget, was going over the Gillies Range, up to the Atherton Tablelands, in the AC I built (yeah,you know the one) when we were only legal to 500` agl, it terrified me! yet I did it many times....When I had my FTF approved by AUF and CAA, they gave me quite a large training area with 2000` amsl height limit! That`s when I started, legally flying above 500` agl......while most other poor buggers were still down at tree top. On a more serious note! Those days are long gone! These days, the only time I fly below 500` agl is when I`m taking off and landing, I prefer to be at least 1500`agl and above, depending on the terrain and yes, I still choose to only fly within gliding distance of a suitable landing area! If that makes me a whimp,then so be it!!! Frank, Ps, Glide descent? I was only up there to take photos? PPS, You keep those fancy things with all the bells and whistles in the air now, You hear!

This morning`s solo flying, just for the pleasure of flying and taking some photos...Is there a better aircraft than the Drifter, for doing just that?...Regardless of the time I`m flying passengers around, I still have the need to regularly get up there solo and do my own thing, on a day like today, it`s just a bugger I eventually have to get back on the ground...Due to the amount of time I`ve spent on and under the ocean and flying, Frances,my wife, jokingly says I must have been a fish and a bird in previous lives...I`m starting to think, she might be right. In case your wondering, except for two, I took the photos with zoom, from 3700` amsl. Frank.

This lovely young lady is the daughter of one of our neighbours`, just up the road,last weekend I took her for her first flight in an Ultralight.Once back on the ground,I always ask first time passengers,for their first impression of the flight,with a big excited grin, she replied,and I quote, "It`s the best thing I`ve done in my life." I told her and her Mum about the shortage of Airline Pilots,in Australia, especially Female Pilots, gave them some information on the subject and now she thinks she want`s to be a Pilot, I hope she does, I reckon she will make a good one...Today I was going to take her up again and her younger brother for his first flight, but the weather is so good here today that their Mum and Dad took them reef fishing. My son is out there today, in his boat,reef fishing... me?, Well! I`ve done enough reef fishing in my life! First, I`m getting off this computer and going for a fly then later today, I`ll be going with my eldest Grandson, Jet Skiing. Frank.

There wouldn`t be too many, if any, that could say for sure, how they would react in an emergency situation, where the slightest mistake could be fatal. I like to believe, everyone does the best they know how! Frank.

Babinda, Nth Queensland, history. 21 April 1942 - Crash of a B-25 Mitchell on Mount Bartle Frere

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G`Day, John, ...What make of rag and tube aircraft? Frank.

Hi Bill, ...I started flying Ultralights` by building my own, back in the mid late eighties...Have flown numerous Ultralights, over the years! these days, I fly my Austflight WB Drifter. Frank.

Here it is,for those not on facebook........ VintageAirRally - Home Frank.

Hi from Deeral, Nth Queensland, Australia! ......I`m a recreational pilot and currently fly an Austflight WB Drifter. Frank.

Did some great flying today...This morning I took up Aude Blondel and Sebastian Charneau, both from New Caledonia and a first time Ultralight flight for both. This afternoon, I took up my Grandson, Matthew Cheetham and Harrison Maunder, the boyfriend of my Granddaughter,Kristy Cheetham...Matthew has flown with me several times but a first for Harrison...It turns out that Harrison`s mum flew gliders for many years... I`ll have to introduce her to the Drifter. Frank.

Seriously! I don`t want to put a white cross at each end and I don`t want to stop anyone coming in but it is private property and anyone coming in requires my permission...Technically, they should have written permission, verbal permission ain`t worth much and I won`t give anyone written permission. That`s the way I see it, I`m flying off the paddocks that I keep mowed. Frank.

, for remembering you shooda remembered!!!...I once told a doctor, I was instructing that I was concerned about my memory, he instantly replied, " Frank, if you are remembering you forgot, it`s OK."...Apparently, those with severe memory loss, arn`t aware they forget. Frank.

B.P, Yes, I have! Take a look here. Hot Tips Anyone? Post#13 These days ,liability issues are concern to all of us who allow anyone to land on our private strip...Without sufficient insurance cover and how much is sufficient, we either take the risk,or,not allow others to land. Frank.

New Zealand crop duster and his turnaround times are amazing