NT5224

Im quite sure some people fly unlicensed over their own properties.

How many people drive unlicensed on the road? And the chances of getting pulled up are higher.

I recently learned a friend's son was driving on the road before he got his ticket at 17 and was surprised,  but she seemed to think it was OK. He has his license now.

If I or my wife chose to fly unlicensed over our place nobody would ever know...

But neither of us would.

1 hour ago, planedriver said:

In some outback places, the normal rules that apply for all, are not always adhered to.

Who know's, but dosen't want to say?

Maybe time will reveal, maybe not!

 

Truer word never spake.

But I'd hardly call Humpty Doo 'the outback'. Still no details on what happened.

Curiouser and curiouser

Onetrack.

Sorry I have no details. We were called yesterday to account for us and our aircraft ( which would be immediately recognisable if abandoned!) I also heard flying club aircraft were out searching for a lost aircraft Sunday arvo. I heard that a crash site has been found and emergency services attended. 

If the registration is legible  on an abandoned aircraft, wouldn't that give away the owners identity? Let's wait  for further information and hope for the best....

Alan 🤞

Onetrack in this case we were contacted by a friend (emergency services worker) who was on the ground at the crash site. They have been calling around aircraft owners to try and account for people and find out if anybody's missing. We were called yesterday, even though we live far away.

They were trying to identify the aircraft. Dunno what that means- is it badly damaged? No idea...

Just keepings fingers crossed for a good outcome. Best outcome would be if the whole thing is a false alarm..

Alan

Crash occurred Sunday arvo close to Humpty Doo some distance from the circuit.  Police and emergency services reached crash site.

Not sure of outcome, but stuff is being reported in news. Hope all ended well...

Alan

24 minutes ago, Methusala said:

Darwin markets?

EmKayTee airfield MKT

News reporting an ultralight down close to MKT near Darwin.  

Hi John

Fascinating pictures and description of a part of the country I've never seen. Excellent! 

Much appreciated.

Alan

Hi Folks!

Before brekkie on Sunday we popped across to the block next door to ours...

It seems crazy but after ten years living and flying here we've never dropped into Fenton        -despite overflying it constantly.

During the war Fenton was first a B17 then a B24 base. It was target of several Japanese air raids.

Despite smokey conditions across the Top End and Operation 'Arnhem Thunder' war games (squadrons of F 35s buzzing overhead!) we put bacon and eggs on hold.

We push out the bird, preflight and set off. Its just a few minutes flight/hop  from our house to Fenton. I do three low passes across the strip to scatter  mobs of cattle and kangeroos and check which sections look Ok for landing. I don't need the whole length not being a Liberator at full MTOW!

I could almost land across the runway width!

We park up and have a walk about checking out all the old dispersal bays. Its a lovely spot, utterly deserted now but there were heritage photos of John Wayne and Cary Grant performing to a packed audience in an outdoor theatre. Dont know what impresses me more, the idea of so many people out there in the wilderness or the fact that John Wayne and Cary Grant once visited next door to our place!

Short flight home through smokey conditions and then those eggs and bacon and lashings of tea...

Great start to the day!

Early departureHopping over to FentonScattering  the stock

Heritage sign

B24 tail section?

Hopping across the ridge back homeArrived  back -our home strip

Alan

Good and smokey in the Top End with everybody now burning. Yesterday I flew home from Darwin through smoke so thick that at times its hard to see the ground...luckily the smoke is trapped by an inversion at about 3500. Clear skies above.

Probably shouldn't have flown but I was suffering from get-there-itus, because I was scheduled to do some burning around my own property!

I passed a fire front overhead at about 3000  and felt a distinct kick upwards.. Gotta admire the courage of those mad bastards who fly fire fighting missions just above the flames!

Alan 

47 minutes ago, Panorama said:

The foxbat was at 62k near the end, one of the tecnam p2008 was at 134k, plus the additional 8.25% mentioned above.

Wow that's really strong money for aircraft that have been punished in the training circuit. I guess they have been maintained (because SOAR obviously did everything  by the book), but still...

Perhaps people think they're getting a better bargain at an auction,  but is that really true?

Alan

Folks 

I suspect an obvious fix. Today my wife took our brand new Yaesu 550 to the airstrip with me to test it. When I was taxing our aircraft I could hear her perfectly, but she said she could only hear crackling interference and loud static , not me.

She’s not a total idiot with tech  (a licensed pilot herself) but just couldn’t get it to receive. Given the frequency was correct (I could hear her transmit clearly), I’m wondering if she pushed Squelch by accident or something. Only other thing I can think of is  trying ANL ( ambient  noise reduction).

Anything  obvious We’re missing here? Anyway of testing the VHF receiver here on the ground  without running my aircraft radio?

cheers

Alan 

On 19/02/2021 at 9:53 PM, onetrack said:

Jack, if you take a look at the link to the Pickles auction put up by Petercoota, you will see the following inspection information;

 

Inspection: Moorabbin: Monday, 1 March 2021 from 10:00am until 4:00pm
Bankstown: Friday, 26 February 2021 from 10:00am until 4:00pm

 

On inspection days, you are allowed to wander through all the items listed for auction and inspect them without starting them or unscrewing panels. If a panel is easily removable and replaceable with hand-operated clips or fasteners, you would more than likely be allowed to remove those panels for inspection - provided they were replaced correctly and securely.

 

However, a call to the Pickles representative who is in charge of that particular auction inspection will soon clarify what is allowed in the inspection process.

Naturally, starting engines would not be allowed, and I doubt whether access to the cockpit (sitting in it) would be allowed, either.

Hi folks!

Out of interest are there any legal implications to the sale of aircraft where the seller does not allow inspection for airworthiness as part of the sale? Will logs/ maintenance releases be available for inspection by buyers? Or is the situation exactly the same as buying an old used car unseen, and the expectation it will probably drop its guts on the freeway on your drive home? 

Cheers

 Alan 

1 hour ago, old man emu said:

For the sake of us all, would you mind recording your Dad's stories? We must take all steps we can to record for posterity the history of the Common Man, no matter what they did. We are living in a world where there exist photographic records of every part of peoples' lives. We can't make pictures of what happened in the past, but we can at least record memories.

OME, absolutely. 

As a rule my dad doesn't clutter himself with material possessions, but he loves that Mosquito model. I hoped it would serve as a link to his memories as a 20 year old boy in the mid forties. My dad has been a life long and active pacifist (at great personal cost), he has some good memories of the last year of the war. He was young,  enjoyed comraderie,  teamwork, problem-solving and developed a life long admiration for German engineering. His recollections are tinged with sadness too, but he mainly remembers the good.

Even though he went on to an extraordinary life of achievement, his face has always lit up everytime he sees a DH Mosquito on TV or  at an airshow. I guess those were special times for him. And now, that wooden model brings him more joy than I could have ever imagined...

Alan 

Four years back I gave my old Dad a  hand carved wooden model of a mosquito on his 90th birthday. I picked it up from a outfitters store in Darwin which imports them from Malaysia.

Dad served on Mossies 

(among other types) and was absolutely rapt to receive that model. It sits on his mantelpiece and he plays with it and cleans it everyday. He pointed out some minor inaccuracies in the model and wanted to write to the manufacturers to correct the design. Its his main talking piece now and whenever I speak with him he tells me about the mossie model and that leads into service reminiscences.

He loves that model, and yet the gift was purchased almost accidentally

Alan

18 minutes ago, Old Koreelah said:

Alan I’m a tree-hugger from way back, but I think you should take the dozer to those big high buggers at the end of your strip.

Koreelah, I agree but as Thruster said my whole property is thick woodlands. I've already cut  about 15 of the highest trees at each end with a chainsaw (intentionally leaving the stumps in).  Just beyond those trees the land rises in a steep escarpment. Its like flying on or off an aircraft carrier. Lots of fun. I'll clear the trees back to the escarpment, but the strip is plenty long, even with them there.

Alan

At last. After three frustrating weeks grounded by a tropical low that had the clouds streaming across my airstrip there was a literal 10 minute break in the clouds. I just  happened to be preparing to slash the airstrip so I dragged the bird out of the hangar and got in a few respectable circuits before the clouds began creeping back over.

My wife drove over when she heard me throttle the Lycoming...And snapped my last circuit.

Here's landing and takeoff

Alan

On 13/02/2021 at 8:50 PM, Garfly said:

 

 

Interesting clip.

Two observations from the benefit of my arm chair. First I was interested to see a tricycle undercarriage nose over like that  in the rough.

Second, I dunno the aircraft type or its approach speed but I felt (with the benefit of hindsight!) that the pilot was carrying a bit of extra speed into his approach. Flaps dropped to late to slow him down much and if he hadn't nosed in, the aircraft would have gone into the trees... 

But the pilot saved himself and any passenger  and that aircraft will likely fly again -so all things considered great flying!

Easy to  be an armchair critic -but this  same thing happened to me in 2017...

Alan

Here's where mines at... still got to enclose the back... all materials and delivery for structure came in under $7000..

Thanks for responses!

No flying this weekend due to weather ( and lack of MR), but  following suggestions here I will now keep MR and POH documentation stored in aircraft. Seems like the obvious thing!

Alan 

37 minutes ago, Yenn said:

Does RAAus require a MR. Do they even have such a thing?

Sorry Yenn, I’m VH reg. Just confirming what I already suspected... I stupidly forgot  to bring my flight bag with everything in it heading home to my property this weekend. The weather has been very overcast  for  three weeks due to monsoon and haven’t been able to fly. Hoped a break in the weather might come this weekend, but now no documents.

POH can be downloaded electronically, it’s my licence and MR which are the issues

Alan

Ok kinda a dumb question here. I've stupidly forgotten my flight bag  with licence, POH, maintenance release,  logbook etc... Can I still  legally fly circuits from my own strip over my own land? 

I'll have  ERSA and other electronic documents in my EFB (which is with me).

Alan

On 26/01/2021 at 9:29 AM, Garfly said:

This appears to be a genuine engine-out/forced landing video.

In any case, I'd say it shows that all flyers need to have skill and confidence in low level manoeuvring.

(And, if you read the YT comments,  that we should be careful about want goes into our fuel tanks.)

 

 

Great clip but gotta say I thought his turn onto final rather steep with engine out. Still,did the trick I guess...

Alan

2 minutes ago, NT5224 said:

 

I subscribe. But was surprised to receive an email informing me that my annual subscription had just automatically been renewed...And I had been debited for it.

While understanding the OPs point, I don't wholly agree. Flight Safety has an overarching theme of encouraging better airmanship, but has a variety of content covering diverse topics much like any aviation magazine. If it was just aviation safety directives, I wouldn't be buying it! I'm guessing  if flight schools and charter companies have a copy lying around the tea room or the hangar it might have broader reach in tbe aviation community...

Alan