Jump to content

NT5224

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    489

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    9

Everything posted by NT5224

  1. NT5224
    What are my preparations? Nothing particularly useful yet... But my wife bless her, has finally been motivated to get her ticket before the race. I spend weekends on the ground watching her go round and round in the circuit.... I’m actually very proud of her, I reckon she’ll solo much earlier than I did. Not in our Rebel, but in a smaller eurobubble training aircraft. Sadly I doubt she’ll get her x country or tail dragged rating before the race so she might be stuck in the right seat ( but at least she’ll be a copilot rather than passenger! ) We’ve also ordered some enormous heavy rubber. We were already the slowest entrant in the race before the tundra tyres, and when we fit them we’ll be even slower! But hey, at least we’ll arrive in style! Alan
  2. NT5224
    My wife and I are signed up. The challenge for us is getting our bird airworthy for the race. I suspect we may be the slowest participating aircraft ( if nobody enters a Drifter!) so am going to have to figure out some tactical advantage over the Cessna and Mooney brigade. I’ve got some big rubber coming from Alaska, and I doubt they’ll give us any extra knots AS. But I’ve flown most of the route before.
  3. NT5224
    Hi SGIAN DUBH You can certainly buy an aircraft in Australia, although a hire for a couple of weeks would also be possible. Aviation Advertiser is one of the primary sites although there is also this one: Australian Aircraft for Sale on Aircraft Online. Good luck!! Alan
  4. NT5224
    The information I have now received is that registrations are open from 30th October. We are definitely intending to register! Would be nice to be in touch with other competitors beforehand. “Know your enemy!”
  5. NT5224
    We'll be entering -if they accept our nomination. The route passes through our neck of the woods perhaps that will give us a home advantage?
  6. NT5224
    Haha! Smart response to the OP. Im with SDQDI on this one. I certainly wouldnt want to be obliged to rent my bird out to anybody who wanted to fly it.
  7. NT5224
    I note that the route for the 2018 Outback Air race has been announced. This event held every three years in support of the Royal Flying Doctors and is more a test of navigation and airmanship than of aircraft speed. The wife and I have always wanted to take part. I note this year the race is being opened to RAA certified flyers. Anybody else interested in this? Cheers Alan
  8. NT5224
    "I'd be quite cautious about your situation as a kit manufacturer cannot assemble on their factory floor and reg 19 unless it was within 95.55 1.2 (e) ... and building as a demonstrator would be hard pressed on challenge to be within "the major portion of which has been fabricated and assembled by a person who undertook the construction project solely for the person’s own education or recreation" Thanks Kasper. You make good points, but I'm fairly confident about my own rego as the aircraft was a used import and so was subject to a high level of scrutiny and inspection to get it into Australia and onto the RAA register. It was not a first of type build, but just a well-finished one the company wanted to tour the airshows in the US and Canada and promote sales with. I was just pointing out (as you have too), that the situation can get a little murky depending on interpretation of how the aircraft was constructed and where, and possibly whether the manufacturer is on record as a supplier of finished or kit aircraft. Alan
  9. NT5224
    Actually I think it might be more complex than that. My own plane is RA registered 19, but was built by the manufacturer as a demonstrator. From this I surmise that if a manufacturer is not a registered supplier of factory build aircraft but only of kits, then even if they build an aircraft on their factory floor it's still a 19.
  10. NT5224
    I think it mentions in the Country Airfields Guide (in each individual airstrip entry) where ASICS are required.
  11. NT5224
    Something we all dread, especially over Tiger Country. Much flight training is directed to preparing us for the possibility that the fan at the front end (or overhead, or behind) goes quiet. But with newer aircraft designs and engines becoming -at least theoretically- more reliable, the likelihood of an engine failure seems to be declining since the days of two stroke... But how often do engine failures and emergency landings actually occur among our aircraft types and how well do we manage them? I've had one in a couple of hundred hundred hours and am obviously here to tell the tale.. Would love to know whether (or how often) folks have experienced complete or partial engine failures and what happened? Did the emergency landing go as planned? Any thoughts or lessons learned for the less experienced would be appreciated. Cheers Alan
  12. NT5224
    Yes, good point. But to take your analogy further, do 'shareholders' in other companies have to pay the company annual fees? Remember, we are members of an organisation that is being run as a business, but the purpose of the business is to run the organisation for its membership. Without the membership there would be no company, surely? Sorry if the above reads naïve, I have very little knowledge in the legal implications of RAA being run as a company, but I'd like to think if there is no valid reason why we members shouldn't have knowledge of the content of the boards submissions, then maybe we should... It would certainly put to rest any of the bickering on here about the performance of the board. If they're doing a good job (as I suspect), they have nothing to lose from a little transparency, and everything to gain. Alan
  13. NT5224
    The way I understand it, our new board has been focusing on getting members access to CTA and securing a MTOW increase for registered aircraft. Personally, I have no real interest in the former but lots in the latter, but I appreciate for many members the opposite will be true. However, while we have been told that this is what our board has been doing, I myself haven't yet seen any of the documentation that has been submitted to CASA get a clear idea of what actually is being proposed. Is there a good business case to be made as to why the board shouldn't be more transparent with the membership and share its submisisons? Would that undermine their negotiating position with the regulator -or something like that? Just curious Alan
  14. NT5224
    Just read the outcome of the RAA board elections. I voted and although my selected candidate placed as an 'also ran' I'd like to offer congrats to the blokes who made it in and wish them well in their roles. Must admit I voted against the proposed changes to our organisation last year but am giving the new board benefit of the doubt despite my initial reservations. What do you blokes make of the shiny new-look RAA so far? Any reflections on how we're traveling nearly 18 months in? Alan
  15. NT5224
    Just out of interest, what types of aircraft have you had into your 450 metre strip? Anything GA?
  16. NT5224
    Last weekend my wife and I flew over to Wildman River resort for lunch. There was a young Cessna driver just getting ready to leave back to Darwin and pick up some tourists when we pulled in. She came over to us to ask about the Rebel and kindly said she'd much rather be herding it than the 172. A tasty lunch and a quick flight over the Kakadu wetlands. That afternoon was back home plastering the kitchen.
  17. NT5224
    Hi folks I'm just wondering whether anybody on here uses their aircraft for a daily commute to work, and if so whether there are any particular challenges or considerations I should be made aware of... My wife and I both work in Darwin which is a two hour drive from our home ( just too far to drive daily) while only about a 40 minute flight. We are wondering whether (if it becomes possible for RAA to navigate Controlled Airspace), we should fly in for two or three days a week. I've been thinking about fuel, landing fees, parking charges ( both aircraft and car) and of course the problems of getting caught out by bad weather and having to overnight in town or drive home. Here in the Top End, certain times of year make for very unpredictable flying conditions and so there would always need to be a plan B. But whatever way we look at it, the numbers seem to suggest it would make financial sense to fly in a few days rather than continue renting a property in town (which is what we currently do). Anyway, am I overlooking something obvious here? Anybody have practical experience of commuting to work in their aircraft? Comments? Cheers Alan
  18. NT5224
    Hi folks In a recent circular Jill Bailey was named as acting CEO. In the past I have spoken with her couple of times and she was most helpful. Anybody know what's the status of the former bloke in the role? Is he on a break, unwell or no longer with the organisation? Just curious, because I thought he was doing a good job too. Cheers Alan
  19. NT5224
    Errr, I think they weigh a little more than an extra kilo or two, more like 30kgs for both. But yes i guess its all to pretty close to the C of G. My aircraft has had the battery mounted down the back of the fuselage to offset the weight of the Rotec motor, and if I need a heavier tailwheel assembly that will help balance it out too. The extra weight will obviously subtract from my usable payload under RAA 600kg MTOW, but if the much discussed increase is approved by CASA, I might be able to re-register the Rebel at something closer to its design MTOW. I'm watching how things develop with interest.
  20. NT5224
    Hi folks I fly a 19 registered aircraft (but am not the builder) and want to upgrade my rubber. This will obviously change the weight and balance of the aircraft, the aerodynamic performance as well as ground handling. Does anybody know how this will be handled by RAA in terms of getting the modifications registered and the aircraft certified and approved for flight? I want to keep everything legal. I would get my local GA maintenance facility to do the installation, would their weight and balance and engineering signoff be enough? Also what about test flying? Could I do that myself? Overseas my aircraft type is commonly equipped with the bush tyres I want, and can be supplied in kit form with them, so there is no doubt that they fly OK. If anybody's done this modification, I'd love to hear from you. Cheers Alan
  21. NT5224
    Hi Tim Great little film... love the character who sells you the Red Devil. Stoned and hungover on arrival. Clearly needs to brush up on his 'Human Factors'! ;) I think your music was awesome. Did you use some kind of arranger keyboard to do the score? The strings sounded very authentic. Alan
  22. NT5224
    I'm gonna wade back in here. I have two points to make. Another handling difference I found between the c172 and the lighter J 400 (or similar plastic fantastic) is sensitivity in cross winds or turbulence. You feel every breath of breeze and every zephyr in a Jab, while the metal 172 is much more comfortable and stable to fly. So if you're planning on flying a jab across the inland in summer, you're either going to have to time legs to cooler morning and afternoon, or stick to over 5000 ft, otherwise the buffeting gets really hard. I personally find this much less of a problem in a heavier 172. Likewise I have found the heavier aircraft much less sensitive to crosswinds on takeoff and landing. It makes a difference. My second point is this: I reckon Possum1 has an awesome profile pic. That's REAL flying! ;)
  23. NT5224
    Litespeed. Thanks for that. I never realised the C172 is only rated to 30kg more payload than the Jab! I've flown both and it feels like the C172 would have better payload performance...But you make a good point about having to carry more of that load as fuel in the 172.. Never thought of that! Apologies for taking thread off topic Cheers Alan
  24. NT5224
    OK, you got me interested here. Whats the range in a J 430 with four up? I've flown the J 230 and wondered how it would perform with four fat blokes and full tanks. Whats its MTOW when rego'd VH? And how does it fly at that MTOW? Very curious to know. cheers Alan
  25. NT5224
    Hi aplund Congratulations on your PPL! I gotta say I really enjoyed reading your account of your progress to PPL and flight test. It made compelling reading. I recall your thread some months ago describing how your flight school went bust, and I remember thinking that you were left in a really difficult situation. Its really inspiring to know you came back from that setback and have completed you PPL. Transitioning between flight schools can be tough. If funds are a constraint then as somebody suggested above, flying with RAA might be a slightly cheaper alternative to continuing along the GA path, particularly if you're interested to actually own an aircraft. But that depends if you can get by with a single passenger and aren't fussed about flying in controlled airspace. Why not go for a trial flight in one? best of luck Alan
×
×
  • Create New...