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NT5224

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  1. NT5224
    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
  2. NT5224
    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
  3. NT5224
    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
  4. NT5224
    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
  5. NT5224
    Good point! So Group G is for the sick and the weary… They should call it Group W. Alan
  6. NT5224
    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
  7. NT5224
    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
  8. NT5224
    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
  9. NT5224
    Murphy Rebel is cavernous Alan
  10. NT5224
    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
  11. NT5224
    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
  12. NT5224
    Yeah I appreciate the reason for discrepancy, but my point remains, that’s a big wing area on a small aircraft. Doesn’t look that big in the pics… Interesting. Alan
  13. NT5224
    Sorry in the original article (above) it gives wing area as 235 sq feet, which struck me as rather impressive on 65 hp. The Wikipedia post says 167 sq feet. I’ll go with the latter as correct Alan
  14. NT5224
    Hi is the wing area cited for this aircraft correct? Just curious.
  15. NT5224
    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
  16. NT5224
    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 .
  17. NT5224
    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
  18. NT5224
    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
  19. NT5224
    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
  20. NT5224
    Ok I stand corrected. So Rotax engines aren't stamped with registration numbers then? My Lycoming is.
  21. NT5224
    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
  22. NT5224
    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
  23. NT5224
    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
  24. NT5224
    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
  25. NT5224
    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
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