NT5224

As the title says. How do I apply for one? From CASA or Air services? Is there a form? 
 

This is for the purpose of installing my Sky Echo, obviously.

Alan

1 hour ago, dlegg said:

Do you have a high wing aircraft or low? If high with tanks in them, you probably don't even need a pump. But you must have an engine driven pump?

High wing, gravity fed motor. No I don’t need the pump in cruise so often turn it off.

It’s  an electric pump, not mechanical. 

Alan

Thanks Thruster88

That’s really valuable information and exactly what I wanted to hear from a fellow pilot!

To be honest my apparent drop in fuel  flow switching off the pump yesterday was even more than 2 gallons… it recorded a greater reduction in flow than when I had leaned the engine… 

I lean my engine by pulling the mix until I get a wobble on the RPM  needle then going back a bit. I then keep an eye on fuel flow and temps…

Not very scientific but I get a smooth running engine, better fuel efficiency and hopefully less muck in the cylinders

Alan
 

41 minutes ago, Thruster88 said:

I have o-320 in the musketeer and o-360 in the RV. 

 

The rate of fuel consumption is only changed by mixture and power setting, there is no change with electric boost pump on or off, if the are no problems with the fuel system such as partially blocked filter, engine pump faulty etc.

 

How ever in my RV switching on the boost ALWAYS shows an instant increase in fuel flow. I believe this is due to fuel pulsing in the flow meter.

 

So if you lean to a known fuel flow with the pump on and then turn it off the mixture would be to lean in my RV by about 2 gph.

G’day Thruster88

thanks for this informed explanation.  I don’t doubt what you say, but my fuel flow guage reading definitely increases with boost pump on. But as you say, RPM does not correspondingly increase.
 

As mentioned in my original post, when I saw the fuel flow drop suddenly I immediately switched the pump back on again, so maybe that was just a temporary ‘blip’ in the reading, and it would have stabilised after a while.

So you are saying that if I lean the mixture with the fuel pump on, there should be no problem then switching it off? 
 

Or would it be advisable to first switch off the pump, then lean the engine?

I’ve never thought much about this before, but was staring at the fuel guage as I switched off the pump yesterday and the reduced readout was concerning.

Alan 

Good morning Nev.

I fly behind a Lycoming  0320, if that matters.

Im looking for guidance from experienced pilots on a very simple issue which I hoped would be informative  to others.

i have been flying over 20 years myself, and in that time I can’t recall anybody ever telling me to turn off the fuel pump before leaning the engine. Not in my pilot training or in any subsequent flight review. Maybe it’s just so obvious they don’t bother mentioning it!

Now I think about it, it is bloody obvious, but I found out through making the error  myself in flight. No harm was done, so I’m just sharing the lesson learned and observation I made.

I thought that  advice is probably better coming from aviators with more experience than I. Somebody like you Nev.

So what would you advise? No capitals please! 😱

Alan 

Hi team.

on a 50km local flight yesterday I was watching my fuel flow and realised it was rather high. As an impoverished aviator I adjusted mix to decrease my fuel usage.

Then I realised that, as I sometimes do, I had left my fuel pump on after takeoff and climb. There are no hard and fast rules about turning fuel pumps off in flight so I sometimes just let it keep running on local flights.

So, forgetting I had already leaned the mix, I switched off the pump. And my fuel flow plummeted…

I don’t think the reduced flow reached the engine because RPM didn’t fall, but the flow guage  read close to what it reads on idle. I immediately switched the pump back on, and we went back to normal.

Is there a lesson to learn here? Should I always switch off fuel pump before adjusting mix to run lean in the cruise? Nobody has ever told me that before.

I don’t want to fall out of the sky. 🤣

Alan 

Hi folks probably a dumb question!

A couple of years ago when the subsidy came out I bought a Sky Echo. For some reason I never got around to registering and fitting it to my aircraft. 
 

I don’t fly much and live in a remote area, fly from my own property and so never had much pressure on me to register. 
 

I don’t have any particular reason why I don’t at present. I believe the risk of collision where I live and at the altitudes I fly very low.

Has anybody had any experiences using ADS-B to convince them it’s a really good thing or conversely a bad thing? 
 

Has it saved your bacon ( avoided collision) or maybe landed you in hot water (landing fees, airspace violations). Has ADS-B had any unexpected consequences? 
 

I note now that  going online, anybody in the world can now track flights with ADS-B activated. 
 

Alan 
 

Nev, I wish you’d come up to my place in the Top End and explain to all the thousands of scorpions that they don’t belong here and should bugger off to the desert instead! 

And if you can draw away the King Browns too, like the pied piper, it’d be much appreciated…🤣
 

Alan 

A couple of months ago I quipped about a tree falling and crushing a runway marker on my strip… And received some very amusing responses. 🤣

But now I have another aviation incident to report. Or, in truth probably not report…

So I got stung  by a scorpion in my aircraft.
 

I wasn’t actually flying at the time but was at an out field to refuel. After getting back in and starting up I felt sharp sting in my lower back under my shirt. But since I was strapped in, I couldn’t move freely to investigate.  I assumed it was a wasp or a horsefly and thought nothing more of it. Uneventful flight home but putting the aircraft back in the hangar found a scorpion under the pilot seat. Chucked it out. 
 

I have no doubt the scorpion originated from my own hangar.  I have seen them around the hangar and regularly spray for them and other vermin. But now ten days later I have a big reddened blotch on my  lower back which is still a bit sore to touch at the sting site.

im not sure what lessons can be learned from this experience. Should preflight checklist include a detailed inspection of every nook and cranny of the aircraft including within seat covers?  Is that practical? I spray in and around my hangar and around the undercarriage of the aircraft to discourage passengers boarding…

Should  I have flown home after an assumed insect sting? I know some people suffer can anaphylactic reactions, but I don’t.  Anyway, who is to say how long a reaction will take to have effect? Do you wait two hours, four hours, six hours?  Losing the light would be a greater risk than some possible effect of an insect nip. 
 

Will  this stop me flying?  Absolutely  not. I’ll keep spraying  the hangar and have a good look in the cockpit and brush down my seat before a flight, but hey this is the Top End…

Alan 

Hi team

a very simple question. I use my IPad as my primary flight device but last week flew a few circuits with only my IPhone. 
 

I have OzRunways installed on both devices, same account. The latest flight was logged on my IPhone but doesn’t show up in the flight log on my IPad.

Can somebody explain how I might copy  the last flights over to my IPad? Can I sync the two devices somehow, or do I need to export those flight logs?

Could somebody explain how I do that? 
 

Thanks in advance 

Alan 

Reporting an aviation incident -of sorts.

The Boy and I were on our afternoon stroll along the airstrip when I noticed a tree fallen down directly onto a airstrip marker Gable, crushing it.. What are the chances of that?

I will remove the tree and fix the Gable. They are hand-me-downs from RAAF Tindal  so have some heritage significance.

Who knows….I might even find time to go flying some time?

Alan 

For those of you that know this stuff… Do military aircraft operate on the same frequencies and ATC systems? Flying in the Top End I have had both fast jets and helicopter pass close to me/under me, and assume they didnt even know I was there. I was carrying ADSB but they weren’t on it… 

How would  separation normally be maintained between a military helicopter and a commercial airliner?

Alann

6 hours ago, kgwilson said:

There are many Lycoming engines that will run happily on Automotive Fuel including the O360 & IO360. The same applies to Continental engines. This means around 70% of the US fleet with these engines could be running on unleaded automotive fuel. The real problem is getting approvals. US Mogas is approved for many engines & while it is essentially the same as Automotive gasoline (petrol) the approvals don't apply to those.

 

Avgas is Paraffin based whereas 98 petrol is aromatic hydrocarbon based. Avgas supposedly has better vapour lock resistance at high altitude (above 10,000 feet) though not an issue in high wing aircraft with gravity feed or where fuel is pushed from a tank not pulled. A bloke I know with an O200 Continental changed to 98 & the engine runs better with virtually no deposits or plug fouling.

Yes this is all true.

My  0320 would run fine on Mogas and I believe may be certified to do so. However, what Lycoming  does not approve  is switching  intermittently between fuel types. I might do so in an emergency ( if no other fuel was available) but basically stick with Avgas.

Incidentally, just from personal experience I find Avgas runs smoother and cleaner on various power tools around my property. The small two strokes prefer the lead lubrication and don’t get gummed up with all the aromatics and stabilisers they put in unleaded 98. 
 

Scaling up this observation to an aircraft engine, I assume it runs better on specialist aviation fuels. Have not personally experienced plug fouling with Avgas.

Cheers 

Alan 

2 hours ago, skippydiesel said:

One useful detail that is missing, from the OzRunways pilot touring guide, is the nearest available 98 RON ULP - other sites like Fuel Guide can be excessed for this , it would be nice if included in OzRunways.😈 .

Good point Skippy.
 

But as I don’t  use 98 unleaded in my Lycoming that’s of little interest to me…Will  be  more significant to those flying with Rotax or Jabiru motors…

Alan 

Hi Team 

I have a question. Every year I get repeat billed by the ‘Country Airstrip Guide’ people for their  latest update. It isn’t cheap, (probably upwards of $50) and they don’t make it easy to unsubscribe. 
 

But as far as I can tell there are very few updates and differences year to year. So you keep paying  for the same document on repeat.

Furthermore, the ‘pilots touring guide’ that comes packaged in Ozrunways seems to contain virtually identical information and Ozrunways  itself provides the airstrip  diagrams.

Can anybody explain  to me what is the advantage of a subscription to the Country Airstrip guide? How does it compare with the pilot touring guide, and is it worth having both? Maybe there’s something I’m not getting…

Cheers 

Alan 

As a Territorian I must admit I find peoples fascination with crocodiles bewildering. Don’t you blokes have Brownsnakes and red back spiders? Do you try to eradicate them from the southern states? 

Crocodiles are the same. I have plenty living here on my property ( not marine crocs, granted) and am always pleased to see them. They are a species that has persisted millions of years virtually unchanged and no more deserve persecution by humans than we would deserve  to be eradicated other species  who could. Live and let live.

Alan 

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

Constant warmth makes you lazy and inflexible and reliant on air-conditioning.. Darwin is one of the most even max temperature places I know of.. . You can't work hard in hot and humid places and you have to THINK more in cold places.  Nev

Nev gotta say I disagree with some of that. 
 

The Top End is warm true, but when the job needs doing,  you do it!  My wife and I are currently in the middle of a tough concreting job, despite heat and humidity.

I like to believe we are also capable of rationale thought, although possibly not to the same level of elevated intellect as  you southern intelligentsia 🤣

Alan 

42 minutes ago, facthunter said:

NT is the LAST Wild Frontier.. There HAS to be some reason to LIVE there.. Nev

Plenty of reasons to live here Nev.  🤣 

Alan 

4 hours ago, Thruster88 said:

 

Flying over the grasslands was nice, the trees and river no.

That’s spectacular footage but  I would personally be rather nervous flying so low with  a two stroke behind me…

Really saddened

I recall occaisional chats with Mark and remember him as a top bloke with a real passion for  aviation and education.

This could well be somebody out of MKT on a Sunday.

What a tragedy! Condolences to the friends and family of the fellow aviator we have lost…

So many fatal accidents/incidents in the news lately… It’s disconcerting. Is this just the way these stories are being reported  (e.g conflating different categories of aviation) or there something else…?

A sad day 

Alan 

On 2/1/2025 at 5:48 PM, Garfly said:

 

While looking for that anti-heat-soak cowl-flap story for re-posting in Skippy's  Linear Actuator thread I was taken back to the main topic of JG3's original thread: Prop Stopped.  I reckon it's probably worth a bump; some interesting discussion around whether we should, from time to time, practise real dead-stick landings.

 

And then, out of the blue, I came upon this example.

(I see the instructor returned the switches to ON ready for a restart if needed) :

 

 

 

Hi All

Great, very instructive video. 
 

I hate to criticise, the emergency was well handled, but  I thought  the pilot landed very long at high speed. In a real off strip situation you probably want to glide at best rate to make of your touch down point, but then slow things up when you’re sure you’re in. 
 

I’ve had two engine out emergencies in real life flying,  but  am still learning. Helpful to see this exercise.

Alan 

4 hours ago, rgmwa said:

I was talking to a friend yesterday who applied for her Class 5 recently and also got a notice to contact a Dame. Her Class 5 appeared on the screen but she couldn’t print it. She emailed CASA and they didn’t have an explanation but cancelled her application, refunded her $10 and told her to try again. On the other hand about 8 club members have got theirs previously without any problems so this IT issue seems to be a recent problem. 
 

Hi RGMWA

sorry to hear about the inconvenience to your friend, but glad I’m not the only one afflicted. The irony is the Class 5 declaration was meant to streamline the process but I have spent three or four hours already trying to get one- and am still no nearer than when I started.

This  is just an IT bug, CASA  public facing staff have been helpful, but I wish I’d just gone with my usual Class 2 basic now.

Note to CASA (and all operators of automated public services). Please test the system thoroughly before launching! 
 

How on earth a Class 5 Declaration can result in direction to a DAME for a medical examination is completely beyond me! Class  5 and Class 1-2 should be on totally different systems. How did they become mixed up?

Another automated system that gives endless trouble is that annual flight movements survey conducted by the department. I always have to send my data just as an email…. Sometimes they tell you to do that explicitly because the system is ‘down’ (yet again).

But glad to read the system is working for many people. Gives me hope 

Alan

35 minutes ago, rgmwa said:

So what happens now? Are they going to fix the problem and send you the Class 5 or do you have to wait until they've fixed it and and apply again l?

They’ve escalated my issue up to IT. They’ve been helpful but I’ve already applied three times and paid twice so not keen to apply again. 
 

I have one paid declaration logged in the system. They just don’t know why the certificate wasn’t issued. I hope they can just nudge that one along.

Alan 

19 minutes ago, turboplanner said:

The problem is Rodger the people complaining most likely don't know how to order a pizza or an Uber, and, like the old geysers that used to wander abound the banks saying they were "awful" for not having as many counters, one day there's going to be a puff of fairy dust and it will be learn the systems or nick off.

Hi Turbo

I'm describing my  own experience. I do know how to use the system, order a pizza or an Uber. 
 

The Issue is clearly an IT problem and could happen to anybody. The platform delivering Class 5  declarations is  still just a few weeks old and there are inevitable glitches.

The CASA team were startled when I showed them the machine  had sent me a DAME examination appointment. Remember it’s a Class 5 ‘self assessment’.

It’s like the Robodebt computer sending  a demand for cash to somebody who doesn’t owe any. It’s just a machine gone haywire…

I have  no problem with CASA. 

Alan