DWF

Maj. Why so parochical? If the info is of interest to RAAus members in NQ why is it not of interest to the rest of us? One of the problems I find with the current system for the election of Board members is that it is regionally based and focuses the attention of some elected member on their own patch. A member of the RAAus Board should be working for the best interests of ALL RAAus members! A board member advocating on behalf of his/her region may have a potential conflict of interest. I feel disenfranchised by the current electoral system as, being in WA, I only get a vote for a Board member once every 2 years - and then there is often only one candidate so I don't get a choice even then. (I know, drum up more candidates, or put your own hand up - maybe I should.) I would like to see a system where the candidates for all board places (from ALL regions) were on the ballot paper and we (RAAus members) all get to vote for (or against) each candidate in order of our preference. DWF

ALL Area frequencies are monitored by an Air Traffic Controller. Inside CTA the ATC controls the aircraft. OCTA the ATC is responsible for providing flight information such as amended weather or notams, etc. Under the procedures promulgated in Notam C119/14 you are entitled, indeed required, to broadcast on the appropriate Area frequency. One could ask what is the appropriate frequency to use at "Fred's Farm" airstrip which is not marked on the charts but in within 10nm of a CTAF aerodrome requiring broadcasts? I would (do) use the CTAF but there could well be others who interpret the notam literally and be on the Area frequency. Personally I think the Notamed procedure is not the right way to go and has opened another big can of worms. DWF

Myrup Fly-in Estate near Esperance on the south-east coast of Western Australia myrupflyinestate.com.au/

Not always! From the C177RG POH

There is - Vne 146kts I just didn't include it as it was not relevant to the discussion. DWF

A very interesting thread and topic. A couple of comments from a practical point of view.... Although it is usually listed in the aircraft flight manual, to the best of my recollection, Va was not marked on the airspeed indicators or placarded in the cockpit of any aircraft I have flown (and there have been quite a few). The yellow arc on airspeed indicators starts at Vc or Vno - Maximum Structural Cruise Speed. Va is the Manoeuvering Speed - and is usually significantly lower than Vno. I guess it is more difficult to indicate Va as it varies with aircraft weight. What about Vb - Turbulance Penetration speed? I would think that Vb should be close to or the same as Va however these are the figures from the flight manual of the Jabiru 120C I use for training: Va - 103kts (only one figure given) Vb - 108kts (listed in the Normal Operation section) Vno - 113kts DWF

I'd rather be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here. DWF

Maybe it has-bean ..... but isn't any more??

How about the first commandment for pilots: Maintain thy airspeed lest the Earth arise and smite thee. DWF

If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you!

I was at Natfly this year and attended the General Meeting and the forums presented by the GM, Ops and Tech (plus others). Those members of the Staff and Board that I spoke with impressed me with their optimism, enthusiasm and professionalism and I look forward to good things in the not too distant future. The improvement in communication and transparency is also gratifying. However, it seems to me that the title of this thread is true and that there are still "Some current problems facing our board......" and staff. The staff and Board still seem to be mostly preoccupied with running around fighting 'bushfires'. I have not seen much (if any) evidence of sorting out RAA's structural and governance problems and/or planning for the future. Indeed, I was somewhat taken aback at the GM's forum when he replied to a question along the lines of "What are the plans for the future of RAAus?" with the words "THERE IS NOT PLAN". It was good to see the report on the resolutions passed at the last Board meeting at Temora but these all seemed to be housekeeping matters (which should have only taken about 30mins to deal with) with nothing of substance in the way of forward planning reported. What were they doing the rest of the time? Perhaps matters of this sort were discussed but not reported as there were not resolutions made in that respect. I would like to think so - a list of topics discussed (but not resolved) would also be enlightening. I suspect MM, at least, has some thoughts in this direction. It would be informative if concerned members were given some inkling of the Boards thoughts and actions regarding the planning of our future. I will get on my hobby horse here and say that the Board needs to prepare, produce and present (to the members) a STRATEGIC PLAN. i.e. Where to from here? Is there even a Business plan for the next 12 months? DWF

No, it is not the original colour scheme. AFIK all Cessna 170A aircraft came out of the factory with a polished aluminum fuselage and wings with a trim colour like this: I think VH-CAS started out like this but with a tan paint colour. The aircraft has had an interesting history. For many years it belonged to DCA (Dept of Civil Aviation) hence the callsign CAS. The DCA livery was fairly bland by comparison to the polished skin but most C170s were subsequently given an all-over paint job due to the work involved in keeping a polished aircraft looking nice. If you are interested you can check it out here: http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/Cessna%20170%20VH-CAS%20p4.htm DWF

Cessna 170 - 1948 - rag wings, double struts. 4 on CASA register Cessna 170A - 1949-1952 (about) - all metal wings, single struts, small split flaps. 9 on CASA register Cessna 170B - 1952-1956 - Fowler flaps. 9 on CASA register all had C145 or 0-300 6 cylinder 145hp Continental engines although many have been converted to O-360 180hp Rudder is large and very effective. Probably more so than on straight tailed C172s but it probably is due to size rather than the curved shape. DWF

My C170A 65 year old and still going strong! DWF

Frank, I was at the General Meeting and as far as I am aware posts #16 and #20 are correct. The Secretary did say at the beginning of the meeting that a small number of proxies had been received after the deadline of 24 hours before the meeting and were therefore invalid in accordance with Rule 30 (see below). Yours may have been one of those. May I ask what you objected to in the resolutions? As far as I could see the meeting was run strictly in accordance with the rules. DWF Rule 30. Appointment of proxies. (i) Each member shall be entitled to appoint another member as proxy by notice given to the Secretary no later than 24 hours before the time of the meeting in respect of which the proxy is appointed.

Although each of these options probably received majority support I would not call it "Overwhelming". I also think that these were presented as cost saving options that should be explored rather than definite proposals. While I do not think Canberra is necessarily the best location for RAAus HQ, I think that it would be rather problematic to implement, with relocation expenses, major disruption to business, staffing issues and the fact that as RAAus is an association registered in the ACT the public officer (and probably the official location) of the association must be resident in the ACT. Changing the jurisdiction of the association or becoming a company limited by guarantee may resolver the latter issue and also make operations and constitutional change more flexible. Regarding the Sport Pilot suggestion - this would perhaps save money by not having to print any hard copy magazines but if some printed copies were required then the cost per copy would be significantly increased (due to lower printing volume). This would in effect mean that those of us who would like a printed copy of the magazine would have their membership fees effectively increased by $80/year (or whatever the mag. would cost). As a compromise alternative we could reduce the number of hard copy magazines to 4 or 6 per year and have an electronic newsletter/update every month. DWF

Don, well done in preparing and presenting the amendments to tidy up the constitution. The fact that all (except one - which was not yours anyway) were passed unanimously is testament to the sensible (and perhaps non-controversial) nature of the amendments. The one dissenter on SR7 actually seemed to me to be more an abstention than a NO vote. I did not find out his reason for not agreeing with the motion. DWF

I am in the process of renewing my Class 2 medical. The cost will be about $1,030.00 !!!! Travel to Perth [1500km round trip] (my DAME here, the only one in town, has handed in his 'badge' due to hassles with CASA) $300 Accommodation in Perth $150 Stress ECG (I'm getting older and over the 'score') $285 DAME examination $220 CASA $75 If CASA get picky, as they have done for my last 2 medicals, and find something else to query it will mean another trip to Perth and another specialist bill!

That's what the Australia Card was going to do. Anybody remember that? I think it got voted down as being too much "Big Brother". The CIA/NSA/ASIO probably have all you info though.

This one is probably more of a challenge.

How about this one?

Is there still a CRC? Who is on it? Are they currently active? If so, do they have a program or timeline? If not, why not? DWF

Dafydd, how does GFA handle pilot licensing/certification?

Yenn, the world around us is changing. If we don't change and keep up we will be left behind. Let's face it, the current (or very recent past) RAAus has not served us well. As far as I can see there is no opportunity for members to make any comment on the RAAus web site. I would like to see a member's forum there as well. A healthy discussion/debate of ideas here provides members (and others) with an opportunity to share their views and consider alternative points of view and options. I certainly don't share some of the opinions expressed here but it is interesting to see what and how others think. I take umbrage at my posts being referred to as "constant whingeing and whining". In most cases they are carefully considered and hopefully constructive. I do agree however that some posters seem more able to knock and decry the posts of others than offer any constructive thoughts. DWF

You're a cynic Frank. OK. Replace "M.E.R.I.T" with ability.