Mathew Ker

Doug, Thanks for your word of caution. ;) Your comment is exactly the reason why I am keen to practice more stalls at height so I become more aware of what may happen and why. My experience in a number of areas other than flying is that if you can rehearse for what may be expected, you are better equipped to react when the unexpected occurs. I might add that when I was parachuting in the Army, I never jumped without rehearsing in my mind the drills I had been taught by excellent instructors. I firmly believe this always gave me more time to think through the situation and act accordingly. :;)6: The irony is the more you preplan and rehearse, the less chance there is that something will go wrong in the first place! I understand that recreational flying has an inherent risk factor - but so has life. My aim is to understand the risks as best I can, and then act responsibly to minimise the risks to myself and others. This flying business is great fun. ;) Regards, Mathew

This is a good and thought provoking article. I am learning to fly in a Jabiru UL-D. In the stall training I've done to date, the stalls appear to be predictable which perhaps leads to some complacency. One of the best training experiences to date was when asking to do some more stalls, and anticipating whether the aircraft would drop the left wing in the stall which seemed to be the predicted pattern, the aircraft stalled with the wings remaining perfectly level. It taught me that we might expect and event to unfold as previously experienced, BUT always be prepared for what actually happens, not just what you expect to happen. Flying predictable patterns and circuits is good fun and reassuring, but I am lucky to have an instructor who keeps pushing the learning envelope. When practising emercency landings, I lost my place with what I thought he wanted me to do and I told him so. Rather than taking over the controls and explaining again, we still had plenty of height so he forced me to think the situation through again and carry out the drill. A great lesson in 'flying the plane', give yourself time to think, then act accordingly. On the back of this article, I'll be asking to do more stalling and more drills for when things go wrong. Like most things, the test of how well you can do something, is not when everything is going well, but how you are equipped to react when things go wrong. Safe flying, Mathew Ker

May I add my condolences to the family and friends of all who have been affected by this terrible accident. Mathew Ker

A great day to go solo Like so many people, I’ve long dreamed of flying an aircraft. I imagined that to experience the sense of freedom, the satisfaction and the exhilaration would be a worthy goal. My story really begins earlier this year. Rapidly approaching forty, I decided it was probably around time I had a mid-life crisis. I asked my wife, Sonja, if she would mind and she politely enquired what sort of mid-life crisis I had in mind! With confidence and bravado, I suggested buying a scooter, to which Sonja pointed out this would be a dumb idea. Living in tropical North Queensland means either being drenched in sweat or torrential rain. So I revisited my long term dream of getting my pilots licence. After coming up with all the excuses of why I couldn’t: costs too much money, I don’t have enough time; Sonja just told me to get on with it and start flying. Internet research led me to www.recreationalflying.com and this proved very helpful and encouraging. The importance of choosing a good instructor was emphasised many times. Also to ensure you have sufficient resources to fly regularly so steady progression is achieved. The other thing to be considered is choosing an aircraft that you want to fly in. It’s no good learning to fly a weight-shift trike if you want to cruise at 90-100kts flying three axis. I chose to fly with Ron Watson who flies out of Innisfail in a Jabiru UL-D. Ron is ex-RAAF and I’m ex-Army so I figured we’d either hit it off immediately or it would be a shocker. Fortunately we clicked really quickly and every lesson has been filled with learning new skills and enjoyment. When I’ve made errors, I’ve already recognised them and so Ron doesn’t berate me, he encourages, corrects and has me perform the task again – an excellent role model for other instructors. I imagine some forget that their students try really hard to please their instructor so we can learn well and become sound, competent pilots – modelled on our instructors. Innisfail is a great location to learn to fly with spectacular scenery being hemmed in by tropical mountains and the Great Barrier Reef. The weather has been great and there are few other aircraft to battle with. My lessons began shortly after my 40th in September and we progressed rapidly through the syllabus. Effects of controls, circuits, landings, stalls, loss of power in flight and on take off, all wove a tapestry of information and skill. Each new skill built upon the previous lessons. I push myself pretty hard and as the lessons advanced I aimed for each manoeuvre to be accurate and precise. A more windy day proved an excellent opportunity to practice side-slipping and cross-wind landings. Today (6th November) I was driving from Cairns to Innisfail thinking, “this is a great day for flying.” I had completed six hours of flying and was gaining in confidence and building up my basic skills. Ron briefed me that today we would be practising forced landing in the training area, followed by circuits. After a quick nervous wee (forced landings will do this!), we taxied for runway 14. With no wind, Ron changed plans and said we’d fly some circuits first. I completed the first circuit and everything was neat and tidy. The second circuit was also tidy and after I made the downwind radio call, Ron asked me to practice a full stop landing, then another take off. I made the amended radio call on final and completed a good landing. “Right,” said Ron, “I want you to fly another circuit just like that, I’m getting out of the aircraft.” With that Ron was gone and I was preparing for my first solo flight! I paused, gathered my thoughts and ran through the pre take off checks. Full throttle and I’m away. The little Jabiru climbed out really well and within moments I was checking airspeed, flaps up, trim the aircraft, ease the throttle, check altitude. I’ve got to admit, I allowed myself a huge, face-splitting grin and I thought, “Wow, I’m really flying this.” What a buzz. “Okay let’s put the self-glorification on the back-burner and fly the aircraft.” Downwind checks and radio call, turn on base, identify the crop duster working to the north, check airspeed, flaps set, check altitude, glide path, aiming point, good landing. Ron opens the door, “Congratulations mate, your first solo.” One solo a pilot does not make; but it is a significant milestone and as Ron pointed out after the lesson, you only ever fly your first solo once. I look forward to the rest of my training and learning how to control the aircraft in both good and adverse conditions. Not every dream works out like you imagine and not every mid-life crisis should be entertained. But gee its great when it all comes together. It was a great day to go solo.;)

Thanks David. An excellent read and definitely more food for thought. Have you heard of any Skyrangers flying with the Jabiru motor? What's the Rotax like for engine noise? Mathew

David, Gav, other Skyranger owners/pilots, As a new student pilot, I too am dreaming about how I'm going to justify spending the money on flying once/if I gain my licence. The lack of available aircraft in FNQ for hire seems to point towards buying or building. I'm currently learning in a Jabiru UL-D and really enjoying it, but I also like the look of the Skyranger. Any information or stories about your experiences would be a great help. Rather that posting privately, please put them on this forum so we all gain benefit from what you have done. I'm particularly interested in the build time and ease of assembly. Also whether anyone has used the Jabiru 2200? Is cross country realistic or am I better sticking to a second-hand Jabiru? Typical journey might be from Innisfail or Mareeba, then around Cooktown and further north on the Cape. Once a year I would expect to travel to SEQLD or interstate. Cheers, Mathew

Still interested in the Joey2 Like Disperse, I'd still like to hear more about the Joey2. The numbers sound terrific and as someone who would like to fly cross country, it seems perfect. Why is it so good? Why is it's price so cheap (for kit - seems very reasonable for the performance)? Any forums or suggestions for those aspiring to build one? Regards, Mathew

Hello Farri, I'm looking to learn to fly in FNQ, most likely from Innisfail. Options would appear to be either a Jabiru or a Lightwing. Do you have any recommendations on local schools? Mathew, Cairns

It's terrific to join this flying community. I have been interested in flying for many years now. I spent 10 years in the Army and have flown (as pax) in C130, C141, Caribou, Porter, Chinook, Iroquois, and Blackhawk. I have wanted to get my pilot's licence for a long time but had almost given up (not enough time/money/any other excuse). My wife told me to get organised and arrange some lessons so I plan to begin in the next week or two, either flying from Innisfail or on the Tablelands. My aim is to fly three-axis with sight seeing over the Great Barrier Reef and Tablelands the goal. Longer term I would like to fly to Cape York communities and maybe even venture to southern locations. I look forward to learning and gaining encouragement from those with more experience than me. Mathew Ker Cairns