NT5224

Wow that's amazing landscape, with a good few tigers running around down there. Glad your Jab six pot is still chugging reliably..! Great Rego... How did you get across the ditch? Freight or fly? Alan

Flew into Batchelor this morning for a coffee and brekkie. Nearly dropped off my perch when I saw AVGAS at $3.26/L. I squirted the minimum required in each wing and began scheming about how I might instead suck out a few extra dregs from the barrel stashed at the back of my hangar. Do people on here think AVGAS prices will come back down again when the world gets back to normal? Or do the fossil fuel companies like current pricing too much? Alan

Flew into Batchelor this morning for a coffee and brekkie. Nearly dropped off my perch when I saw AVGAS at $3.26/L. I squirted the minimum required in each wing and began scheming about how I might instead suck out a few extra dregs from the barrell stashed at the back of my hangar. Do people on here think AVGAS prices will come back down again when the world gets back to normal? Or do the fossil fuel companies like current pricing too much? Alan

Departure this morning from Robin Falls international. After clearing the strip of roos, my Boy watches on as I do my run ups, but loses interest at the prospect of some 'stick time' of his own 🤣 Takeoff illustrating my standard 'Baghdad Corkscrew' departure circling up to 1500ft before setting out over Tiger Country. Alan VID-20220724-WA0002.mp4 VID-20220724-WA0001(1).mp4

Adels Grove was a jewell in the Gulf, packed during the dry season. Michelle and her husband had made a wonderful destination and prospered. Lets hope the Waanyi folks can bring in some competent management and then they too will prosper. They have a great opportunity to educate about the dark history of that country and their prosperity on the station would be a fitting reversal of fortunes. Lets hope this destination comes back online soon. Alan

Nev As you know, mine had a Rotec radial. Looked pretty but had an appalling record of reliability. Three emergency landings in three years, constant problems despite regular maintenance, repair and returns to the manufacturer. I would not wish a Rotec on my worst enemy. Is there a Rotec on record that has made 1000 hours? New builders love putting them in because of the look and the sound, but all too often they are swapped out if they need a functional and reliable aircraft to actually fly. Alan

A Rebel Copy? Nah I don't see the similarity...

Yes.. I think some variants can be flown on 80hp but they have a slightly different configuration to the 'full fat' version. I believe they are weight limited ( probably to around 600kg) and have different wing struts to reflect this.... For example I once heard the Rebel on floats cant fly behind 80hp. Also I don't think the back seat is allowed at 80hp. Alan

Quite stubby wings RFguy, but with a long chord and incredibly deep wings which give it its slow flight capability. Many also have VGs as well as the four stage flaperons.

Thanks for pointing out the omission, Nev. They fly behind 100hp too. I just wanted to point out 80hp was not typical for this aircraft. There are five on the Australian register (VH). I think most are Lycomings like mine

As a Rebel owner myself I would point out that a 80hp unit is quite uncommon for this aircraft. The majority fly on 160hp and a few on 180hp. Great airframe regardless of engine!

Anybody ever done this? I feel really dumb! On Sunday my wife and I were refuelling at Batchelor prior to a flight over Arnhem Land when we were distracted by a problem with the bowser. My wife was up on the wing with the hose and I was stabbing buttons on the Avgas bowser. About 30 minutes into the flight I turned to my wife and asked if she had put the fuel caps back on. She said 'no, I thought you had'. I couldn't recall doing it, so told her we had to turn back for safety... After an hour we landed back at Batchelor and found both fuel caps correctly fitted!!! I take responsibility for this because I was in the left seat at the time ( my wife is also licenced),and its definitely unerving when it happens! Makes me wonder what else I might be missing... Price of growing older? Alan

The dog and the wife come as a package. He follows her everywhere. Actually his contribution to my take off usually comes after start up, chasing roos off the strip at RFX. But at 0930 it was too late for them. Alan

Nothing quite like a Lycoming.

Absolutely she does. Since she got her licence Im lucky I get I get any left seat time at all...🤣 Alan

After a month grounded first by monsoonal skies and then awaiting a replacement tractor tyre so I could slash Robin Falls International (RFX). I finally got airborne. Hoped for an early departure but after a thorough preflight and then a last minute decision to take on extra fuel, I then find my battery dead. So I have to fetch the wife and dog to help me jump start. Didn't get off the ground until 0930 but flight conditions were beautiful. Flew into Batchelor for circuits and bumps and shared a coffee with a senior aviator mate RFX is looking good and my wife filmed departure Alan VID-20220220-WA0000.mp4

I recall my wife's instructor always insisted that pilots fly with long pants not shorts, in case of fire. Im not sure how much difference pants would make. I tend to fly in shorts for comfort and an easier and faster exit if I need to. Never wear boots. with brake pedals and rudder pedals together don't want to risk landing on the brakes... Cheers Alan

My little Dynon EFiS artificial horizon just died. It was installed in my aircraft in 2008 so has had a good run, no regrets. Replacement options are the portable Dynon D3 which isn't really a panel mount and doesn't do much, and the slightly more useful Skyview SE with 7 inch screen for about 500 bucks more. Anybody have experience of either of these? Hear the Skyview does AoA which is fair substitute for stall warning. Any insights one over other? Cheers Alan

I have a Garmin aera 660 as my panel mounted GPS. Used to have a Garmin 596 and this is way better. Just love the simplicity. Is it over priced? Yes probably, and it doesn't do much your EFB can't.. But as a backup its great. My airspeed indicator and AH just died and I completed my flight using the Ground Speed and AH on the 660 panel.. Alan

So no extensions -even in states where health services are on the verge of collapse? I recalled there was a 6 month extension given in 2020...

Folks my basic medical is due renewal next month. Here in the Territory we expect a COVID peak around then. GPs are struggling. Have CASA granted a medical renewal amnesty (extension) or anything like that? As state health services struggle to provide emergency services... I have absolutely no problem with the medical. I just don't want to burden stretched Territory health services, and I don't want to contract COVID in a doctors surgery full of sick people. I live out bush so am not regularly exposed to COIVID. Cheers Alan

I must confess to have less love of radials than the original poster. I now fly behind a solid Lycoming after several in flight emergencies flying behind a rotec. Looks pretty and sounds pretty but I was always too terrified by the looming shadow of catastrophe to enjoy the experience. Despite constant investigations by qualified technicians had three failures and partial failures in about 20 hours at one stage. I'm too old for all that excitement! Alan

Maybe not yet, but its never too late... Alan

Spacey This kinda sounds like what we all did first time flying solo! Alan

Plenty of aircraft with manufacturer MTOW of up to 750 Kg have been registered with RAAus. Mine was. I have seen Cessna 152s, RVs and other types. But for compliance under RAAus rego weight is restricted to 600kg at takeoff. I had to chuck out the second row seat and with an adult passenger I was theoretically limited to about 1/4 fuel capacity....crazy! That’s why I registered VH to get around this restriction. Alan