mnewbery

Joyce's predecessor got paid ten times as much. So you could say he took the pay cut up front

http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/09/22/how-geoff-dixons-millions-grounded-qantas/

Caveat: I am so totally not a QANTAS or Joyce 'fanboi'

From the girl pilot herself

http://stuckmicavcast.com/tag/lynda-meeks/

If you wait for the Army to "bug out" of Oakey in a few years ... Grass, camping, hangars, classrooms, near a town. Toowoomba regional council has more airfields than most and this one is already there with its own museum

The city of Canberra (as in the legislative assembly), the Chamber of Commerce and the neighbours over the border in NSW do not want small airplanes in that part of the country. Fact. Not my opinion.

Yes there is an excellent labour pool for office workers there but the chances of actually landing in the ACT anywhere other than YSCB, zero.

RA-Aus can't have both unless a privately owned airfield is developed and run on its behalf in the ACT. Not impossible but it hasn't happened yet has it?

Give Canberra the same love it gives anything under 5,700kg MTOW

Please read the article below regarding Caloundra Council and the SCRC.

http://www.aviationadvertiser.com.au/news/2010/05/educating-the-decision-makers/

...then follow the money

Good. No mention of a new simulator there then?

Then there's this from 2010

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/03/17/jogger-killed-plane-likely-heard

Apparently this archived video appears on the Brian FitzGerald YouTube channel

For the lovers of retro...

Wool string on the antenna

The Drifter pilots' operating handbook (POH) I have read is a reasonable place to start. Rather than point to a specific speed versus angle range (e.g. so many knots at such a bank angle for so much mass) it may be handy to consult with an instructor with time on the the type then both of you together go see what happens when you over bake a turn ... At a safe altitude with plenty of time to recover.

The wire braced drifter I use gives a very definite mush at full power as the stall is approached, followed by a stall buffet that can be felt and seen as the wing tips start to oscillate. This is common behaviour for many types and a reason why a stall warning device is not always fitted. If the pilot persists or ignores these indications, a horn or light isn't going to change what happens next.

As far as extra gauges are concerned, it is my opinion that this is not in the spirit of the genre. Temperature gauge, compass, clock, look outside for attitude and bank angle. Of course every aircraft has air speed and altitude indications these days. Why that is, a topic for another time.

Caveat. I am not an instructor, follow your flight training and don't blame me for dud advice

I went from the Gazelle to the Drifter also. Prior to that, cessnas. This becomes one of those shark versus lion discussions. (The winner is determined by the location of the fight)

Just enjoy each aircraft for what it is rather than trying to come up with a leader board. Left versus right hand isn't a problem any more than low wing versus high wing.

Notably ... And the drifter drivers here will back me up on this ... If you fly the drifter well and safely you will be a better Gazelle pilot should you wish to visit there again

Aviat Husky running on compressed gas? Won't save a MOGAS user money but a four seater normally burning avgas and used for training will be materially cheaper for the owner and the trainee.

I have no solution. Yet. From the beginning to the late 80's (?) EAA published tip of the month for home builders. This made sense when people had the time, context and need for such things as building Leeon Davis' DA-11. Now we buy new, pay for servicing and replace (or cease activity) when beyond economical repair.

The only people with a shed full of tools are tradies and retirees. Your mechanic doesn't do wood in his spare time any more than your dentist does millinery in hers. They contract it out. Until it becomes too expensive then they stop rather than learning to do it themselves.

So, paying $100/hr labour for a LAME might make sense on a new $399k Cessna but the same LAME will charge $100/hr for a busted a$$ C150 Aerobat I could probably learn to fix myself. If I had time. Which I don't and I'd rather spend that time flying.

Time for a change. Aviation is beginning to feel like joining the clergy. Give up everything else in your life, or else.

Structural reform is the thing we are looking for and it works like this. Pick a number like $80/hr then decide what fits inside that box. If you don't like it, innovate. Sometimes the motivation is positive, sometimes it's negative.

More to come...

Took teen relative for first non-revenue (non-airline) flight. Open cockpit, windy bumpy day. One circuit only but with an extended downwind. Cut losses to ensure a positive experience was had by all.

Had to mash the throttle twice on the landing flare because of the on-off-on nature of the cross wind. Greased the landing between gusts while silently thanking aircraft and instructor for beating into me the idea of carrying a bit of extra air speed into a cross wind landing.

Back on the ground, teen said it was scary at first but very cool fun and why did we fly for only 12 minutes. After driving for so long this was a valid question. At the time the wind continued to strengthen while we pushed the bird back into bed.

... There is never a second go at a first flight.

I'm still waiting for the wind to drop again

Consider the fair weather flyer in thermals and turbulence of the mid day kind. Especially the bit where you power away from a perfectly reasonable descent and flare because a) all the wind socks are suddenly no longer in agreement or b) the uncommanded yaw rate can't completely be overcome while keeping the wing tip off the ground.

Noticing the seat belt over your lap for the first time since the circuit departure call because a bump just slammed you down enough to register as negative G ... Fighting for yaw and roll control at 4500 feet as a patchwork of green and brown fields slides by. Feeling the powerful up drafts every time a cloud obscures the sun overhead.

Getting exhausted trying to keep a decent heading and altitude with all the up, down and side drafts then dreading the descent because in reality it's quite fun half a mile up, the air flowing in to the cabin is reasonably cool and you are just going to sweat while standing still in the shade on the ground. Also, while this sounds unpleasant (it is) the pilot who voluntarily subjects him or herself to these conditions in a controlled way with good advice will come back safely with an increase in personal minima.

"Can't do this with an avatar. There is no pause button"

I noticed if I missed downwind checks, particularly when changing aircraft types a few (dozen) circuits would re-enforce the procedures. Little changes like going from left hand yoke to right hand stick, swapping throttle hands, hand brakes vs foot brakes.

If muscle memory is something that works with repetition and is lost without it, a procedures trainer made out of cornflakes boxes and cello-tape will work too. So long as the procedures are the right ones in the right order.

The desktop trainer is more fun so you'll probably use it for longer

Check the radial alingment and spacing between the balance (cheek) weights on the crank. If they are different by more than a millimetre (look at the rotax manual for the limit) the crank is twisted and/or bent. This comes from running regular unleaded petrol and is to be expected. See below.

http://www.avweb.com/news/maint/rotax_overhaul_options_208438-1.html

From that article

When Lockwood's Dean Vogel heaved an old crankcase up on the overhaul bench, we could easily see why it's spec'd for new only. Two of the counterweight cheeks were visibly misaligned, probably the result of detonation from low-octane fuel. "It's not likely to break," Vogel said, "but it will twist. We see this from time to time."

The spats are there to stop rocks going thought our wing skins, which also can't easily be replaced. Also the drifter flies crooked with only one.

I glued the old one back together. It was a crook fit to start off with, the original was a bit too wide and cracked the new gel coat when the last bolt was tightened.

PM me and we will haggle. I know how much replacement ones cost now. I am going to take a mould of any new spats I get. It will be worth it based on the trouble involved so far

I'm looking at fixing the right wheel spat but before I do I want to know how hard it is to get one or two that will fit from somewhere like SkyShop.

Anyone know even what the part number is?

Thanks in advance

I dream of a day when journalists check their facts. Sell that to me

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/technology/2013/10/19/10/26/worlds-first-flying-car

Poor, poor journalism.

The Terrafugia Transition, which reaches on a ground speed of 240km/h but can reach 720km/h in the air, will go on sale for about $290,000 for local pilots with 20 hours flying experience, CNN reports

http://naa.aero/siteadmin/data/document/SC4_Vol_ABR_13.pdf

Section 4 – Aeromodelling

Volume ABR Section 4A, Section 4B, Section 4C

2013 Edition Effective 1st January 2013

Section 4c Clause 1.3.2

(...)

b) Powertrain control may be accomplished by the pilot via the wires or cables or by an onboard self- contained, automatic process.

I dare say it was a human operated throttle. I will try to find out more

Maybe go fly it just to be sure