NT5224

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

Those who have the Class 5 declaration, what does it actually look like? Anything like an actual medical certificate?

My problems are being escalated in the CASA IT department. The staff are being helpful -but our AI overlords seem to have something against me…

Alan 

3 minutes ago, FlyBoy1960 said:

Went through perfectly first time.  Are you passing the testing questions correctly ?

Passed test. 
 

It is an IT issue.  On my second attempt  the system  mixed up my Class 5 Declaration with an application for Class 1 or 2 medical certificate and sent me to a DAME. I have a  bizarre  document from CASA requesting me to go get a medical to progress my Class 5 Declaration.

The whole point of Class 5 is to streamline that part of the process. I don’t have any medical conditions.

Alan 

So this time, to avoid a full day  journey into Darwin to see my medical man I took a punt on the new Class 5 declaration.

Attempt 1: Went through the online process,  paid my money then…… nothing. No certificate.

Attempt 2: Went through the online process,  pressed submit and got a message saying an appointment was being booked for me with an Aviation Medical  Examiner! (as required for a Class 1 or Class 2).  Unbelievable. I have just received an email from  CASA confirming that I will need to go to a DAME for my Class 5. How is it possible that those two systems can be conflated? 
 

So I called CASA and spent an hour speaking to two lovely people who helped me the best they could. They could see my first application and payment -but couldn’t explain why a certificate hadn’t been issued.

They could  see my second errant application and killed it from the system as it was preventing me from getting back in. They told me to log back out and start over.

Attempt 3:  Went through the online process and paid a second time.

‘Error Occurred while processing your request. Contact CASA’.

Have other people been through the Class 5 medical route? What have your experiences been?

Cheers 

Alan 
 

Hey all

just been thinking about doing a little flying while on a trip down to Adelaide. I looked at some weather data for Aldinga strip and was startled to see the daily average wind speed at about 13 knots, with gusts of up to 50 knots. 
 

For somebody from the Top End this seems really high. I’m sure the strips are lined into wind, but I think my own aircraft maximum crosswind component is about 18 knots.
 

I’m  guessing flyers in Coastal South Australia must have mad  crosswind skills! 
 

Is Aldinga really that windy? Or are there times when it is possible for a relatively benign flight?

cheers 

Alan 

3 minutes ago, Thruster88 said:

My RV6a would be eligible for group G but I will not be changing because, it will cost more, I would have to repaint the rego and the paint is very beautiful now, I need to retain my casa license to fly the mighty Musketeer. 

 

Maintenance does not change.  

The only reason to change would be if one cannot get a class 2 medical.   

Good point! 
 

So Group G is for the sick and the weary…

They  should call it Group W. 
 

Alan 

Hi folks

if the moderator  thinks this thread should be moved into the other Group G discussion, no worries. 
 

I’m the owner of a VH reg aircraft, flying from my own home airfield. The Lycoming Rebel has MTOW of 760kg which means it’s eligible for Group G.

Why should I be tempted to defect to Group G? What’s in it for me?

Is CASA looking to divest itself of light aircraft operations completely in future? Is this the thin end of a wedge?  What about aircraft rated for multiple passengers? 
 

I’m  trying to get a clear view of the pros and cons of switching, and would be particularly interested to hear from other GA pilots in a similar position. 

Now that RAAUS has confirmed Group G rego will be numbers not VH  letters I’m concerned about being relegated to second class citizen status by other traffic…😂

Cheers  

Alan 

31 minutes ago, spenaroo said:

not that it makes a difference,

But anyone know what the laws are in the USA about low flying.
see a ton of youtubers flying low though canyons etc...

does this normalize the behavior here?

I didn’t want to say it…but somebody flying a Highlander STOL  at low level down a shale river bed. You don’t need to be Trent Palmer to see where this was going…

I love watching Trent’s videos. He seems a great pilot and obviously has great video production skills -but I would never fly that way myself. I live out bush and fly from a strip on my own property with a STOL aircraft.
 

I was doing a Flight Review a couple of years ago and the bloke says to me “lets go down to below 500ft to practice low flying. I bet you do that all the time at your place”

I flew the 172 down to just above the trees  and told the bloke “I never do this at my place or anywhere else, it’s nuts!” I go low over the trees when I land and that’s the only time I want to do it…. It’s actually pretty scary when you think about.

Alan 

Hi folks! 
 

This tragedy afflicting a fellow aviator is all the worse due to the death of a young child… condolences to the family and friends of this fellow pilot and passenger.

That said, there are a few basic questions that can be asked around the circumstances of this accident. As previously noted, barring a loss of power flight into wires away from an aviation landing area would imply flight below 500ft AGL. Yes, that river bank looks pretty smooth and potentially landable. But deliberately carrying a young child into such a potentially dangerous situation would be more than just poor airmanship,  it would be bad adulthood ( I won’t say parenthood because we don’t know the relationship between pilot and child).

This has been a disaster. Flying is risky and we all do what we can to mitigate those risks for ourselves, for  our fellow pilots, our passengers and those on the ground.

Hopefully more will be learned about this tragedy and the lessons of it will be shared.

cheers 

Alan 

Murphy Rebel is cavernous

Alan 

Ladies and gents

I’m genuinely interested in what people think about the latest congressional hearings on UAPs. (The new term for UFO).

Some are claiming the evidence for UAPs is becoming much more credible, with new forms of  complementary data recordings and such. Some are saying the US government is basically accepting  that there is compelling evidence for UAPs… Meanwhile the  same old whackos are insisting the US government holds physical and material evidence for space-aliens, Little Green Men and the saucers they fly in.

Pilot testimonies seem to be an important part of the evidence under discussion.
 

Most of us on this site are older people with extensive experience. We are also practiced observers of other aircraft in the sky. So I’m wondering if anybody on this site has spotted an inexplicable object or phenomena while flying? I’ll receive any such reports with an open mind.

Or anybody been abducted and probed? 🤣

Cheers 

Alan 

This is very sad news. Condolences to the families of those involved.

I don’t know Caboolture airstrip but reckon it might see some traffic and movements. It will be really interesting to learn how this failure of separation occurred. It is all too easy to become complacent in the pattern around a bustling airfield. 
 

When CASA did their last safety seminars they focused on  the case study of a collision between a fix wing and a rotary wing very low over a strip following some mixed up radio calls. The actual calls made by both aircraft seemed reasonable but  could be subject to misinterpretation, and both pilots misinterpreted.
 

Let’s hope this awful tragedy yields some lessons for us all.

Alan

Hi folks

I recently browsed aircraft prices and realised they appear to have gone mad. I guess it’s a post COVID thing like 4WD vehicles but more so….

So here’s my question. People may be asking $100000 for a flogged c172 or $140000 for an equaled weathered Champ, but are they actually changing hands at those extraordinary prices? In Recreational category I saw Jabirus and the like advertised at over $80000…

Are people actually paying those prices? Or are the sellers dreamin’ ?

Alan 

Do Windy get weather from BOM? I thought the raw data was sourced from US ( NOAA)  and European agencies. Sometimes you see organisations like the British Met office also credited.

I had thought what Nev said was correct that BOM just locally interpret data from global weather models. I didn't think anybody in BOM actually contributed to the development of those models.

We don't locally forecast weather anymore and as I noted before, the local  accuracy where I live  has been way out.

Alan  

. 

31 minutes ago, Yenn said:

They are not really predicting weather, but the likelihood of a weather event. Ths chart will show rain for all of SE Qld for instance, but then look at their likelihood and it may be 5%.

They haven't got worse over the years, but they haven't got much better either.

Yenn 

Call it what you like. The BOM is useful and deserves our tax dollars only as long as they can forecast weather with some level of accuracy. A prediction of a probability of a weather event is not what a farmer needs for his crops or a fisherman needs before setting sail, or you or I need for flight planning.

They can couch what they do in any terms they like, but if they're underperforming they have more to worry about than what people call them. 

Alan 

Hi folks

Just an observation. The BOMs predictions for weather in northern Australia have been totally inaccurate this year. They have missed major storms that nearly took the roof off my house. Predicted rain when there hasnt been any and issued flood alerts hours after we had heavy rain storms. 

They literally issue wild weather warnings after the event and update their website retrospectively to cover their tracks....its crazy...

This performance is far far worse than it was even a couple of years ago. What has happened? I hear they shut down regional offices a couple of years back.

Alan

3 hours ago, pmccarthy said:

I have been watching vids of the shot down drones and haven’t seen a 

A statement from Rotax....

https://www.rotax.com/en/news/latest/detail/statement-from-brp-on-the-alleged-use-of-rotax-engines-in-mohajer-6-drones.html

Ok I stand corrected. So Rotax engines aren't stamped with  registration numbers then?

My Lycoming is. 

Hey back to Rotax! 

What about my earlier point that if these drones are rotax powered then somebody should be able to calculate the number of units (Shahed drones), remaining, based on the number of motors produced and accounted for in 'legitimate' aircraft?  I have read that between 150-200 drones are thought to have been deployed over Ukraine. How many rotax engines could Iran potentially  posess and so how many remaining drones?

Having flown behind a rotax (scary high revs for a Lycoming aviator!)  I would consider them fairly low performance for a 21st century weapon of war....

ALAN

Sorry folks...

This thread is about Rotax engines and their application to powering Iranian Drones. I was surprised that hundreds had been acquired by Iran and were now apparently buzzing around over Ukraine.

Alan

26 minutes ago, Methusala said:

Darkly amusing to think that Bombadier would display any more scruples than say, Raytheon, General Dynamics, BAE or any other arms dealer. Money is money...war is a scam. Who supplied the weapons used to kill 15,000 Russian speaking Eastern Ukrainians between 2014 and 2022?

 Hi Methuselah. So you've piqued my interest here -and seem very well informed.

Who indeed supplied the weapons to kill 15000 Ukrainians between 2014 and 2022?

Alan 

On 22/10/2022 at 9:18 AM, Ian said:

Really enjoying the thread and seeing the different approaches being used.

Would it be possible for those who've built or had hangars built to give the dimensions, floor type and costs. (probably the approximate year as well)

Hi Ian.

As mentioned previously my hangar is based on  a 12m x 12m dome structure with additional steel wall  and access door of my own design.  The floor is compacted roadbase. I have built the whole thing in the last two years using current material prices for under $8000.

The arched structure kit took 7 days to throw up, the wall another 3 days.

A good practical solution for my situation

Alan

There are many stories and images on the net now including by credible sources (BBC and ABC) highlighting that the Iranian Shahed drones raining down on Ukraine are Rotax powered. The Ukrainians have displayed the wreckage of crashed drones.

Its not a good look for Rotax and their Canadian  parent company...  They are commencing an investigation.

My first thought is what a waste! (These are one shot weapons right?)

My second thought is how many Rotax aero  engines must have been exported to Iran? It must have been hundreds. Didn't anybody consider this slightly unusual? Is recreational flying a big thing in Iran?  Or go-carting  or snowmobiles ( or whatever else they use those motors for?)

This presumably gives Ukraine and her backers an idea of how many of these drones are still out there... Based upon how many Rotax motors were sold to Iran..

I don't think the engines have been locally pirated because they have 'Rotax' stamped on the plastic covers of the engine.

Apparently the British and Americans use Rotax in their drones too.

Alan