spacesage

Thanks for your input, I will be reporting it to RA-AUS. I know that the coolant definitley overflowed through the overflow on the reservoir tank. My thoughts are this. Why did it overflow? The coolant was DEFINITELY below the max mark. Was there a blockage? CHT did not suggest this. But a lot of coolant came out. Oil and Fuel drain both exit the aircraft underneath, taking potentially flamable agents away from hot engine surfaces. Why is this not the case for coolant? If it overflows it pours all over the engine creating the illusion of an engine fire. In my situation I had every right to cut fuel flow and force land the aircraft in an area that would have definitely caused damage to the aircraft and probably injury or worse to me. I broke the rules and continued flying based on normal gauge readings. This incident has left me very conflicted about my future in aviation. I have always loved it, but this has highlighted the risks we take hiring other peoples aircraft. This is not a past time for anyone who is negligent or cavalier in any way. How do I take my friends and family in an aircraft I dont feel safe in? How can I be assured that the aircraft I am flying in is safe? People I have trusted to provide guidance have let me down. I have decided not to hire those aircraft again. I am looking for a new school in the Brisbane area that can be reccomended by popular groups. My other option is to go back into GA and obtain my PPL. More expensive but I know the maintenance is more structured and can be audited by the pilot at any time.

Hi guys, I have been in Vegas for a while now and have been training for a while now. I wish to transition to Jabs and am looking for reccomendation for a good flight school \ private hire facility. I am in the Northern Suburbs of Brisbane.

I am a new pilot. I have 41 hours, 20 or so are command hours. I had my first real aviation scare the other day. On takeoff in a rotax 912 powered aircraft I saw a lot of smoke (I know it was smoke because I could smell it.) at about 300 ft, coming from the engine. I immediatley checked my gauges all which were still good, EGT, CHT, FP, OP. I made a decision to go around in the circuit and make for the runway. I climbed to 500ft and issued a mayday. I made the circuit a very small one and made my approach, smoke still almost obscuring my view. I touched down with about 60m of runway remaining, before touchdown I had shut the engine off. I applied full brake resulting in a wheel lockup and slide. I over ran the runway onto the grass overun, came to a stop and very quickly exited a very smokey aircraft. The aircraft was undamaged save for a flat spot on each of the main gear tyres. Upon inspection it was apparent that the coolant had overflowed and was cooking off against the exhaust manifold. The pre-flight of the aircraft revealed a high coolant level but still below the high mark of the coolant tank. Upon landing all gauges were still good. I looked before shutting the engine down. The aircraft was a private hire, my question is this, and I think I already know the answer. Should this be reported to RA-AUS as an incident? I have not been asked to fill out a statement of any description. I dont know whether the hire establishment has already done this. I have tried to contact both people running the hire place with no success in the intervening two days. Apart from scaring the absolute crap out of me, I want to be a good and professional pilot and I am very confused at this point. Any input would be appreciated.