Registered and in use are two totally different things, nowhere does it mention anything about "in use". Registered it says.

As there is nearly two years to go, there would seem to be no rush today. Other than the price of the gear heading north towards Santa.

According to the application your aircraft must be "shown in an approved registration database."

VH, RAAus, ASRA or whatever they're called this week, etc. REGISTERED, not Reserved.

You must supply an Australian tax invoice with your name on it. So no, you can't buy overseas.

Supply the "installer declaration" (not nesse-celery a LAME) VH kit builders supply proof that they were the aircraft manufacturer, equipment installer and maintainer.

I know a few who got it - quickly.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) Rebate Program – Round 2 | business.gov.au

Closes 31 May 2027.

And once again, yet again, the rebate has nothing to do with CASA.

TEMU warehouse was totally destroyed by fire. Losses are estimated at $57.31.

Reminder about the difference between aircraft AN fittings and similar looking automotive or industrial fittings.

Aviation are 37 degree angle while generic industrial are 45 degree angle. They are not compatible if you get it wrong.

You can't eyeball which is which and they are difficult to angle measure accurately without some good gear.

Do your research, consult rotax manuals etc. Buy the correct parts, not what you think or hope are the correct parts.

20 minutes ago, danny_galaga said:

Damn, that's clever work 😎

Yessir. (not my first rodeo!)

4 hours ago, danny_galaga said:

Nice work rotating the motor. I've built it's brother the Spitfire, so I know it has hardwood engine bearers. I presume you left those out and fitted a radial mount to the firewall?

"Nope". Same wood bearers. I wanted the exhaust out underneath so model stays clean, and it does.

51st year of flying control line.

Aeroflyte Kittyhawk with modified engine position.

7 hours ago, John Werner said:

Quote:- "I believe there will come the day soon (inside 5 years) when our flight training via the aero club cannot survive the paperwork".  That is the nub of my post along with the competition for flight instructors from commercial FT operators and why I share your concern for the survival of traditional Australian aero clubs.

Well good to know John that I'm not the only one seeing the finish line - for aero clubs doing GA training. My aero club is going great at present. If we were to lose the 141 operation it will leave a big hole. We are almost "last club standing" doing 141 training in hundreds of km.

And turbs - roadies.....  I worked in a RWC shop until not so long ago (just a helper, not a mechanic). Owner had the apprentices do the roadies, a total NO NO - he was never out on the shop floor. Even wanted me to check some basics, I said NUP, nothing to do with me DH. Yes, each fault had to have a photo taken and uploaded to Vicroads. Even photos of INOP horns! Then another photo of the horn working again when resolved! Hilarious.

I can speak with great experience to this topic.

I have been in a local aero club 25 years or thereabouts. In that time it has become very clear that CASA do not want traditional Aero Clubs involved in flight training.

Years ago, every small town with an airfield had an aero club, a 172 and an instructor (sole operator) but the aero club held the AOC. I gather that getting an AOC for that was not too difficult.

My club had such a structure since the sixties. Our operations manual came from a mob who did that sort of thing. Then following a CASA audit, our approved manual was suddenly no longer approved and we had to change things.

The manual mob though still existing then (and today) totally blew us off with radio silence. So I stepped up to fix things, the club had no other viable plan.

CASA requirements were becoming far beyond the capabilities of the people of a small town aero club. Many chucked flying training in. Some clubs folded.

Along comes Part 141 and all the requirements and it got ten times worse. I can say with great authority that the current requirements for Aero Club people in CASA approved positions and manuals and forms is well beyond the capabilities of ordinary aviators to be involved with, then not to mention the responsibility those positions hold, usually voluntarily (other than paid instructors). It is the Aero Club that holds the 141 Certificate, not the instructors or any other person. Yes there is a CASA standard operations manual draft which we have used, but I can tell you with great certainty that there are many traps in there that could bring you undone at audit. We (I) amended/deleted those traps.

(quick example - our manual said we would use the CASA Maintenance Release for the plane. Then our LAME innocently used the other RACWA one. drum roll ....... PING!)

Our current approved manuals are only good to the next CASA audit, where overnight they could suddenly now become not acceptable. We (I) do manage to do updates to match regulation changes. Oh, then WE have to PAY to get those changes approved. Let me repeat that one, WE HAVE TO PAY TO GET OUR MANUALS RE-APPROVED AFTER CASA CHANGES REGULATIONS.

We've had audits claiming faults and when investigated, some were totally shot down by their own regulations. The auditors were BSing. Some even claimed fault against regulations that did not even exist.

All these audit findings were to do with paperwork, nothing to do with flying an aeroplane. Sad, that's what it's all come to.

I had a friend in the trucking industry. He once told me the industry was now only about compliance, and if there was any time left over they might do a few deliveries.

I believe there will come the day soon (inside 5 years) when our flight training via the aero club cannot survive the paperwork.

We could transition to the Part 141 sole operator approval thing that does suit an owner/operator of a 172 trainer. They are the master/mistress of their domain totally, they wear all the responsibility.  But that can have problems also if trying to exist in an aero club environment. Perhaps not so if they had their own premises (hangar/classroom) to operate out of.

Well that's my take on the Aero Club vs Part 141 GA flying training scene. It's a race to the finish line. Current VH plane utilisation is good, worthwhile holding on to. While we can.

Oh also, my club also got an RAAus plane and instructor and that is going really well for us. The club owns the plane. I play NO PART in the paperwork for that part of our operation! As far as I can tell, the operation follows the RAAUs standard manuals, there are no surprises, no variations, no specifics for us. IT WORKS. The RAAus operation HAS attracted many new young members and their family members to the club.

brown rhomboid/diamond wing 1932, propeller at the back.

So ugly, when it completed and rolled out, the designer was slapped silly.

It's perhaps probable that some places just don't want to get involved with RPC to RPL conversions - at all.

Class 5 only exists via CASA Exemption EX01/24 Flight Crew Medical Status (Class 5 Medical Self-declaration) Exemption 2024

Para 3 Application of this instrument

This instrument applies, according to its terms, to and in respect of the following
persons, when they are engaged in certain private operations or permitted class 5
training:

(a) student pilots conducting solo flights in an aircraft

(b) applicants for a recreational pilot licence

(c) holders of a private pilot licence or a recreational pilot licence who are exercising the privileges of the licence

Go fly.

Case closed.

In winter, I start in mornings down to about 5C with no problems at all, even with an Odyssey battery 8 years old.

I have a small solar charge panel plugged in sitting on the wing, under the crappy old, discolored hangar roof skylight panel.

My theory is the solar panel doesn't really charge the battery, it just stops it depleting.

In 20 winters, I have never "not started" - not once.

and "the Cessna's engine stalled"

Gravity?

On 10/05/2025 at 2:40 PM, sfGnome said:

For those of you who have bought a transponder with ADSB out (for the sake of argument, let's say uAvionix tailBeaconX) AND an ADSB IN-capable device (say, a SkyEcho, so you can see other aircraft), were you able to claim both devices from CASA...........................................................................

A day late and a dollar short, but the rebate has nothing to do with CASA. Not one thing.

Mercy Mission: The Rescue of Flight 771

Great telemovie starring Scott Bakula. The ATC or search & rescue centre (I think it was) transcript of the event was a good read too, no idea where that's available.

51 minutes ago, BrendAn said:

Only trying to help the bloke alright 

Me too.

VH registered?

Amateur-built?

Factory Built?

apples aint all apples.

I've personally had several Jabiru engine failures over the years.

Calmly identified the problem, selected fuel ON, restarted, then resumed my taxi to the runup bay.

2 minutes ago, BrendAn said:

. saaa inspectors are not going to pass an aircraft that is not airworthy.

For amateur-built aircraft, APs (of any affiliation) are not responsible for airworthiness. Full stop.

(p.s. SAAA don't register any aircraft.)

There are no different specifications for lighting for experimental within the Part 91 MOS.

See MOS

26.22 for anti-collision lights "required by type design" - Experimental amateur-built as an example have no type design. (not type certificated) LSA also is not type certificated.

26.23 for NVFR landing lights

26.26 for NVFR nav lights

Transponder - Class D towers and G airspace (OCTA) - see AIP

22 minutes ago, BrendAn said:

I watched a video once about a piper I think it was. The owner had it available for hire . Anyway she got sent a GoPro of some clown doing aeros and pushing it way beyond the Poh limits. 

Wong Warrior it was. (THE Wong Warrior - Christie Wong's)

Tom Wickers has recently been on facebook Aviation Buy Sell Swap Australia. If you follow that up you should be able to contact him and ask directly.