NT5224

On 10/08/2021 at 3:50 PM, peterg said:

Also known as a "Prayer Wheel"

Or the wheel of fortune! 🤣

4 hours ago, jackc said:

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/grim-satellite-images-show-australias-covid-restrictions-from-the-sky/news-story/78e7c5a5508eec07c029a2cdfa2da9e6?utm_campaign=EditorialSB&utm_source=news.com.au&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_content=SocialBakers

I’m sorry, 

in my opinion  I see this a blatant propaganda by travel and tourism  interests seeking to bolster their profits. 

As SD said earlier in the thread, many of the countries that are opening  to travel have suffered tens of thousands of deaths and lose hundreds more each day. The Australian policy has saved many thousands of lives and continues to do so. 

Anybody  craving a resumption of international travel for that two week break in Bali, is that the price you’d be willing to pay in Australian lives?

These shameless stories are being put out there by big business interests desperate to claw back profit at the cost of human lives.

Cheers 

Alan

Hi folks.

This discussion has been most informative despite the contradictory opinions.

One track. Yes I have been to hosepower and they quoted me $100 bucks/metre for avgas hose (regular not high pressure). Thats why I was asking about alternatives. My main concern about using ULP hose was degradation of the material contaminating the fuel ( and my engine!). I hadn't actually thought of the fire risk arising from different hoses.

I refuel from  200 L drums using a hand pump.

My aircraft can take the full 200L  if fuelling from empty.

I'll take from this discussion that I can use regular ULP hose for refuelling with my hand pump. But how can I best earth my aircraft while doing so? I have a metal aircraft and just refuel in the open on my dirt strip apron. Drums are kept in the shade under a purpose built car port away from the hangar.

Cheers

Alan 

Hi folks

This morning over brekkie  I read an interesting article on the BBC website that cited British and US studies that found that there were now  roughly equal proportions ( if you weighted population sizes) of  fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people in hospital for severe illness arising from Delta Strain COVID. I believe the proportion was about 34%.

The conclusions they drew were twofold. First,  full vaccination doesn't  protect you from severe illness in the Delta strain and second,  vaccination doesn't reduce transmissibility with Delta COVID.

All this was couched in very scientific language so I may have misunderstood.  

I strongly believe everybody needs to be vaccinated. I get my second AZ next week, but these studies are not confidence inspiring!

Cheers 

Alan

Hi folks I've just been looking around at Avgas hose online. They're asking $150/m!!!😱

Anybody know know where I can get it at a more reasonable price or another type of hose that could be used to safely carry Avgas?

Just used for pumping from drums Would like about 8-10m.

Cheers

Alan 

Cheers

Hi folks I've just been looking around at Avgas hose online. They're asking $150/m!!!😱

Anybody know know where I can get it at a more reasonable price or another type of hose that could be used to safely carry Avgas?

Just used for pumping from drums Would like about 8-10m.

Cheers

Alan 

Cheers

On 05/08/2021 at 10:02 AM, Prometheus_au said:

Gday all, 

 

I’ve been scouring the classifieds to get the feel of the prices and features of different aircraft with a view to purchasing, however there is something that is confusing me. 
 

Perhaps this has been tackled before but I can’t find the answer so apologies in advance. 
 

I have noticed aircraft labelled as ‘factory built’ carrying a 19-xxxx registration. 
Could someone with more knowledge than I explain this?

 

cheers

 

Hi Prometheus.

My aircraft was registered 19xxxx and is now registered VH experimental with the factory as the builder. So exactly as you say. When we registered VH CASA queried it but I sent them the manufacturers plate and the paperwork and they accepted it. 

So I have a factory built aircraft by a company that does not produce aircraft -it only produces kits.

Thus what you describe in your OP is entirely possible although the numbers of aircraft involved would be extremely low. If you have seen more than one 19 xxxx 'factory built' aircraft for sale I would be suspicious unless I saw supporting evidence

Cheers

Alan

OK, so reading comments above that's a 'yes', a 'no' and a 'maybe'. Plenty to work with. 🤣

But One Tracks point about  the Venturi effect makes sense. Does that mean that all aircraft with upward vented fuel caps have mechanical fuel pumps?

I'll take from this that with my gravity fuel system I need to stick with forward facing vents which pressurise my tanks and boost fuel flow...

Thanks fellas! 

Alan

Thanks for the discussion folks but no clear response to my question.

Switching from forward facing air vents  to just open top ones, will that effect my fuel flow?

Cheers 

Alan

Ladies and  gents of the brains trust. Seeking some insight

Many aircraft that don't  actively pump fuel  to the motor have vented fuel tanks to ensure air pressure is on the side of gravity in ensuring a smooth fuel flow.

My fuel caps have a little forward facing tube bent through 90 degrees. I'm guessing that by facing them into the direction of airflow the intent is to prevent rain dropping in but more importantly to force air in and actively pressurise the fuel tanks to improve fuel flow. 

I run my electric fuel pump on take-off and landings and at full power but tend to switch it off in cruise.

What would happen if I replaced my forward facing vent fuel caps with regular vented caps  (just a hole in the top)?  Is there much difference? Has anybody else tried this?

Just curious in case I need to change caps or carry spares...

Cheers

Alan

On 30/06/2021 at 2:10 PM, Old Koreelah said:

This one wasn’t me, but it was someone’s latest flight:

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-57660603

 

Hey Old Koreelah, 

really enjoyed that!  What an awesome machine.  from an operational perspective it seems way more pratical than some of the earlier designs we have seen (some of which involved the vehicle detaching wings and leaving them at the landing strip. What a great toy!

However, the vehicle must be so lightweight in construction you wouldnt want any kind of a dingle or even a shopping trolley rash on it

However appealing the aircar  idea I cant believe it will ever catch on, except possibly for autonomous controlled  vehicles. Most people just wont be up to getting  the required  pilots licence, and God knows how  urban airspace is going to be  sorted out with all these new drones and autonomous air taxis and such. thank God we live in the bush!!!

Cheers

 Alan

3 minutes ago, Bruce Tuncks said:

Alan, you are doing the right thing by getting the issue up front. Just how they can say that your insurance is invalid if you made a claim that had nothing to do with the strip is beyond me.

Personally, I don't believe in insurance. I would rather pay the premium money out on building a fireproof etc house.But that's just me. I know of others who have had a great response from the insurers.  The Alice Springs Gliding Club comes to mind.

Bruce just to clarify, nobody is saying my insurance is invalid. My current policy was entered into before we had an airstrip (they did ask if we had one!)

I'm just concerned that if I have need to call upon my insurance (bushfire being our greatest threat) the insurer could try and renage on payment by saying we have an airstrip.

The actual strip is approximately 2 kilometres from my house through woodlands no chance it could have any impact on my residential risks..

It is only for our personal use, no other users.

My friend who had the issue had been insured five years with an airstrip  on his block when the insurers found out about it on a renewal - and said he would need to substantially increase his premium.

His property is much smaller than mine but I fear I would face similar issues. Waiting to hear from anybody with residential property and an airstrip on their block...

Hi onetrack 

Thanks for your insights. I agree with all you have written. 

I am not concerned with household insurance covering the airstrip or aviation related activities and assets. 

Some insurance providers ( trying to ascertain the extent through this thread) see having an airstrip on a property as an additional risk ( even if the insurance does not cover anything aviation related). I guess they assume an aircraft might crash in flames into your house - or whatever (!!) Anyway, it either means they either refuse to cover or offer such extraordinarily high premiums as to effectively prohibit taking up insurance on your home.

Its likely that farm or corporate policies are different but domestic household insurance seems to be a problem. 

Somebody we know had their insurance cover revoked when it came to light that he had a strip on his block...

I'm guessing that some people in this site have airstrips on their properties and also have household insurance so I want to know about their experiences and or solutions with regard this...

Cheers

Alan

Hi folks!

Something I've raised here before - having an airstrip on your property and  how it impacts home insurance.

I'm keen to know from others who have an airstrip how and if it affects your insurance policy. 

Not looking for comments about "its just a  big fire break mate!" 

That won't help when your home burns down and the Insurance company want to get out of paying out.

So people who currently have airstrips, what if any accomodations have you made with household insurers?

Cheers

Alan 

Simple question here. What are peoples views on giving a passenger a 'feel for the controls' in flight? 

I'm sure it totally contravenes regulations if you're not a  rated instructor -but I'm also sure many people have done it with friends and family.

My wife holds an RA pilot certificate,  but not  the part 61 licence required to fly our aircraft. She will transition to a licence as soon as we have time but in the interim I'd like to give her a little hands on experience to get the feel for our aircraft in case she needs to take control in an emergency.  

Also if she's radio rated (RA Aus) can she  legally give our radio calls? 

What do people think? Have you ever done this? 

Cheers

Alan

On 17/04/2021 at 7:23 AM, Garfly said:

 

 

Hi folks!

I just want to put it out there. I love this movie and have always loved it, since I was  young child.

Its just a great film. A perfect insight into the early days of aviation much  strengthened  by the authentic flying scenes. Also bloody funny!

In some respects its stood the test of time well... In others less so. That final scene meant to represent the future of aviation when the squadron of English  Electric Lightnings goes roaring over in V formation lookS distinctly vintage and smokey now...

And yet the old Lightning is still pretty much faster  than anything in the skies today...

I once had this film on VHS and it was stolen from my household possessions as they went through customs leaving a Middle Eastern country. Anyone know where I can get it again? 

Alan 

Hundred dollar burger? 😃

Alan

Ok just wanted to bring this up to date.

Just phoned Aviation Medicine. Nice lady helped me log on by providing code (I live out bush with no mobile coverage). I  found my pending application. My GP had actually gone online and entered my details for me. All I had to do was push one tab

'Agree' and my medical certificate was generated automatically!  So the trick is to go back online after your medical to push enter button to fomerly complete the process. I have probably  been flying illegally for 18 months because of this, but now I know better. Yippee -six months until I have to start the process again! 

Alan

2 hours ago, walrus said:

You probably need a certified and approved lead. 😛

Not if the dog is registered VH experimental.👍

Stupid question maybe --but what can you do on a Class 2 that you can't do on a Class 2 basic?

Alan

7 minutes ago, pmccarthy said:

CASA don't mail paper certificates as far as I know, they email them and you print them yourself. The part you described having done is all I ever do. Once you have seen the DAME they email the certificate. Unless there is a problem. then they email you a letter asking for more info.

Pm

I didn't see a DAME, just my regular GP. He didn't have a clue but figured out there was a section of the form he needed to sign and return.

I was told today that I needed to go back into the portal to do more things before my certificate was issued...

I suspect it's different with a DAME who probably has authorisation to sign you off on the spot. I'll go to a DAME next time for sure!

Hi Folks!

I just got off the phone from CASA  to follow up on a query I had. Just as well I did,  because I think I've just learnt I've been flying illegally for the last couple of years!

It all boils down to the complexity of the medical certificate process  which I failed to complete correctly. I think it was an easy mistake to make and so am flagging it here to prevent the same thing from happening to other pilots.

Essentially on my last medical certification  I did the online portion of the application, printed out the form, took it to my GP, had a medical and then the GP sent a portion of that form into CASA, as required.  But there s another stage of the process where you have to log back into the system online,  answer post-medical questions and upload documents. I didnt do that.

Today I called CASA just to enquire why I had never actually received a paper medical certificate, something that had been playing on my mind this last year. The operator had a look online and saw my application was still open and incompleted... Lucky I checked!

I have two thoughts  relating to my error. First, I couldn't find anywhere where this process is clearly explained online. Certainly not on the CASA portal. If you're not with a flying club or training school or going through an actual  DAME,  its hard to get friendly advice or pointers.

I started a long and helpful discussion on this forum to seek advice at the time, but clearly still didn't get the full story. Geez,  I must be dumb! 

Second point. We live outside of mobile phone coverage. Every time I want to log into my CASA medical portal, they helpfully send me  a text message  with an access  code to my mobile phone.   This makes it really hard to do things. I have to call in,  and wait 30 minutes for an operator to be given a log-on over the phone. This whole online medical process seems unnecessarily complicated.  

Obviously  completing the med application is the priority for me now. Hope I can still dig up the paperwork!

Cheers

Alan  

18 hours ago, Ironpot said:

Where have you read this please Alan? 

 Hi Ironpot 

CASA have brought out new plain English flight operations guides  for regs that will come into effect from 2nd December 2021 

Check out  the CASA site. They're available to download; Part 91 plain english guide version 1.0 (casa.gov.au)

With respect carrying doggo's in aircraft, our chums safety, well-being and comfort must be a primary consideration after general flight safety.  The Boy is always harnessed and restricted to his bench in a safe and comfortable area of the cabin.  He wears passive noise reduction on his ears, the same as human passengers.

I completely appreciate the sentiment of Skippy's point:

I am concerned about the possible effect of unnecessary transporting of a dog (any animal) in a small aircraft. 

We, humans, have the ability to rationalise our situation, load noise/vibration,  unpleasant smells (fumes), sudden change in air-pressure, turbulence and three dimensional maneuvers. Even with this ability, many people are very stressed by air transport (particularly small aircraft).

However, I do not accept that dogs are distressed by travel in vehicles where they are subject to noises and smell, vibration and acceleration forces from different directions.  Any dog owner who also owns a car will know that many dogs are pretty excited about going for a drive with their families -even on bumpy roads!

Most mornings on our daily walk, the  Boy and I stroll down to  the airstrip.   If during our walk I have reason to go into the hangar, The  Boy  gets excited by the prospect of a  flying adventure  and goes to sit beside  the door of the aircraft, waiting to be let in.    

If he did  not wish to  drive in a car or fly in an aircraft, I would definitely not force him to ride  in either vehicle. However,  as I live out bush in the Territory,  our companions quality of life would be significantly lower if he could not fly.  That's how many families (including both human and non-human members), get around.  The new CASA regs seem to recognize this and defer to common sense  and the pilots judgment on if (and how) to safely carry an animal.  I think this is a step forward

Cheers

Alan 

Lawrie

I couldn't  agree more. Its nuts if some folks choose to exercise dogs on airfields. That's not their purpose and the dogs pose high risk to both themselves and aircraft operations

I think  in those circumstances the authorities would be right to prohibit dogs on the airfield.

The Boy (my dog) is a frequent visitor to airfields. He has grown up around and in aircraft.

His responsibilities include clearing roos and wildlife off our  home airstrip but he'll provide the same  service at other airfields if instructed. He is  very serious about his work..

Alan 

Hi folks 

So was interested to read that CASA have decided to streamline their silly regs on the carriage of animals in aircraft.

From what I read, as of next year it will be at the pilots discretion  without the need for explicit CASA approvals, fixed cages e.t.c...

Hopefully this will see more of our best chums enjoying flights with us among the clouds...

So I'm curious to know whether in aircraft  (and licence categories) restricted to two passengers ( e.g. RAA aircraft and certificates), doggos can be carried in addition to a passenger if the aircraft remains under MTOW, and the dog can be safely and securely accommodated?  Back seat of a J230?  

So do dogs count as passengers? Or is it pilot plus passenger plus dog?

Thoughts gents? 

Cheers 

Alan