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mnewbery

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Posts posted by mnewbery

    Ageing Turbo Props, Moving Sand Dune And An Essential Air Service

    in Aviation Enthusiasts

    Posted

    QANTAS used to have life rafts. Under CAO 20.11 part 5.2.1.1 they took them out because they could. Not because it made sense.

     

    Would you prefer a life raft to be there given you could be in the drink 200nm from land at night and bloody miles from the nearest shipping lane?

     

    http://blogs.crikey.com.au/planetalking/2011/11/08/why-should-lord-howe-air-travellers-be-at-greater-risk-drowning-in-a-ditching

     

     

    All Jet Fuel In Australia To Be Imported In 2014

    in Aviation Enthusiasts

    Posted

    In a classic case of not thinking we can do things here better than our competitors to the north, the closure of Shell and Caltex refineries will end the production of jet fuel in the strategically important Sydney Basin market.

     

    Caltex refinery is in Kurnell.

     

    Shell refinery is in Clyde.

     

    http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/we-still-make-stuff-in-sydney-but-only-just/story-fndo317g-1226449453779

     

    http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/fuel-giant-caltex-commits-to-brisbane-refinery/story-fndo45r1-1226459356045

     

    http://microsites.caltex.com.au/thestar/issues/40-Dec-Jan-08/b_Does_Australian_oil_refining_really_matter~.asp

     

    Both were making at least a little money but due to ageing infrastructure (e.g. 1950's technology in the case of Kurnell) these would need hundreds of millions of dollars in new capital to remain competitive with international competitors for example:

     

    MRPL Bangalore India

     

    Formosa Petrochemicals Taiwan

     

    Interestingly big refiners like Tesoro, Sinopec and BP are often seen buying jet fuel to cover their production shortfalls. Further, Australia has Gippsland or Cossack grade (heavy as in API gravity 42 to 61+) crude oil with small reserves of much lighter oil (half the viscosity, API gravity 21). Great for making diesel, virtually useless for making jet fuel.

     

    Caltex is optimising its Bulwer refinery in Brisbane for premium unleaded. Everything else there will go to transport diesel or bunkering fuel for cargo ships. Its right on the Brisbane river so they are golden. No jet fuel from Brisbane.

     

    Finally, while Australian fuel production of diesel has remained almost constant for 10 years, consumption has doubled with the shortfall being covered by imports at TAPIS prices. 10% of the output from Mobil refinery in Altona is jet fuel. Thats a maximum of 47ML jet fuel per year mostly from oil piped out of Bass Strait.

     

    How much jet fuel does Australia actually use?

     

    6500 to 7000 ML per year with an historical increase of 5-8% per year.

     

    Altona doesn't count.

     

    Original image at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ride_with_hitler.jpg

     

     

     

    Here We Go Again, Pilot Shortages Predicted

    in Aviation Enthusiasts

    Posted

    http://www.boeing.com/commercial/cmo/oceania.html

     

    Umm. 12900 new pilots is the number that everyone else is quoting Boeing as saying is a fair number for Australasia. That's 12,900 new pilots flying mostly narrow body jet aircraft the next 20 years... I can't find where anyone in Boeing actually wrote that down.

     

    Anyone see this is 'only' 600 new airline pilot jobs every year? Given there are over 300 schools in Australia capable of training pilots to CPL today, even if half of the instructors went out today and got a frozen ATPL then an interview with an airline that would leave the remaining schools 4 or 5 CPL students a year each ...

     

    Lies, damned lies and statistics.

     

    Yes there is a fresh round of news outlets repeating the same Boeing story today. Upsetting

     

     

    In 1946 Bas Wie, 12 Year Old Stow Away Arrives In Darwin

    in Aviation Enthusiasts

    Posted

    http://australianetwork.com/englishbites/stories/s1213494.htm

     

    Bas Wie grew up on the tiny island of Savu, west of Timor.

     

    He was 12 years old in August 1946 when he stowed away on a Dutch Air Force DC-3 aeroplane on a flight from Kupang to Darwin. About 2 Hours 45 Minutes flight in a DC-3.

     

    Arthur Driver became Administrator of the Northern Territory on 1 July 1946. Bas Wie lived with the Driver family at Government House until the Drivers left for Italy in July 1951.

     

    If Bas Wie is alive today he would be 78. He should have died from his injuries.

     

     

    Lake Clarendon Airport Proposal, Near Gatton

    in Aviation Enthusiasts

    Posted

    http://www.lockyervalleyairport.com.au/upload/image/brochure.pdf

     

    For Bas, MC, Peter and anyone wondering about the proposed airport near Gatton. This is not Gatton Airpark...

     

    No announcement on when the runway will be serviceable. I was out that way on 17th August but didn't have a chance to look in. One presumes the paved runway will be paid for from freehold land sales ... No sign of an of those having happened yet. I am loathe to contact the real estate agent as one can imagine

     

     

    Ageing Turbo Props, Moving Sand Dune And An Essential Air Service

    in Aviation Enthusiasts

    Posted

    C27J Spartan with seats in it? TODR = 580m @ MTOW, less for landing, plus it can take an 11 Tonne payload or fly 1000 nm with a 10 tonne payload. Translates to 9.1 Clive Palmers in the new measurement system.

     

    In flight catering might be a bit BYO, plus there are no windows. On the upside you could start your holiday at Lord Howe with a complimentary skydive before meeting your luggage on the ground.

     

    Check the seating out here:

     

    http://c-27j.ca/c-27j-features-and-capabilities

     

    I hear the USA military have a few spare of these... :D plus they are made by the same people who brought you bits of the ATR42/72

     

     

    Ageing Turbo Props, Moving Sand Dune And An Essential Air Service

    in Aviation Enthusiasts

    Posted

    Nomad - not this time. The Dash 8-200 needs to fly 425 nm plus taxying & holding. It can do 900nm+ one way (source Wikipedia). So it can fly there and back without landing ... The alternate to YLHI is the place you started at, YSSY. The nomad can do 580nm one way with full fuel, one life raft and only a few passengers.

     

    Dornier Sea Star? That would be enough of a reason to get me to go the Lord Howe Island!

     

    http://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-reports/turboprops/flying-boat-back

     

     

    Ageing Turbo Props, Moving Sand Dune And An Essential Air Service

    in Aviation Enthusiasts

    Posted

    http://blogs.crikey.com.au/planetalking/2012/08/18/qantas-bids-to-continue-vital-lord-howe-island-service/

     

    Quote

     

    (...) the Q200s are no longer being built, and as planes, even very good planes, age and accumulate pressurisation cycles and all of the other stresses on their aluminium airframes, they become increasingly costly to maintain as safe and reliable.

     

    End quote

     

    Remember the Beech 1900 story recently? Lord Howe Island depends on the viability of a large operator such as QANTAS being able to economically keep this aircraft type in charter AND fly with safety foremost. The story linked above suggests that no other operator will or can provide the same safety emphasis and outcomes.

     

    Why then, did QANTAS quietly remove the life rafts from the types servicing this destination (in accordance with a CASA requirement relaxation)? Would other operators do the same? Or would they just not bother bidding?

     

     

    Casa Flight Safety Australia Now Online Only

    in Aviation Enthusiasts

    Posted

    Quote

     

    Subscribe

     

    The July-August 2012 issue is the last issue to appear as a hardcopy version. Beginning with the September-October 2012 issue, Flight Safety Australia will appear online only. So that you may continue to enjoy reading Flight Safety Australia, subscribe and receive an email alert as each new issue of the magazine is posted online.

     

    End quote

     

    http://www.casa.gov.au/scripts/nc.dll?WCMS:STANDARD::pc=PC_91346

     

     

    Previous Registration Details

    in Aviation Enthusiasts

    Posted

    Obviously one can use the CASA aircraft register to search by airframe serial number - in this case 20145 - or search by wildcard (e.g. CF* or CT*) but these will only provide the current details. I think that you would need to apply-for and pay-for a search under FOI. The lodgement of the request is free at which time CASA would provide a quote for the generation of the requested information. I believe that the system (CASA-AIRS) should be able to track all the details for the airframe once its Aviation reference number (ARN) is known. This number may or may not be known to the current owner. I'm not sure if it appears on the COA for the aircraft because I've never looked. I imagine it will be there. I don't know what will happen if the aircraft is de-registered, stored and rebirthed. It could result in a new ARN, in which case the serial number will appear in CASA-AIRS twice. This is where the FOI comes in.

     

     

    Fancy Seeing This Hovering By Your Bathroom Window?

    in Aviation Enthusiasts

    Posted

    Quote from youtube page

     

    Honeywell RQ-16A T-Hawk (for "Tarantula hawk", a wasp species) is a ducted fan VTOL micro UAV. Developed by Honeywell, it is suitable for backpack deployment and single-person operation.

     

    endquote

     

    Miame Dade PD (yes the ones from CSI Miami fame) have a certificate of authorisation from the FAA. They claim the drone is not set to record any surveillance video, infact "...the drone is set up to “clear [sic] the picture upon the next picture being captured.”". Plus Honeywell wrote on the back of the receipt "not for domestic spying" in red pen. ;) How long before a cop uses it to look in someone's bathroom window without the boss knowing?

     

    https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/04/miami-dade-pd-releases-information-about-its-drone-program-will-faa-follow-suit

     

     

    As Seen On Facebook

    in Aviation Enthusiasts

    Posted

    So where do I send the bill when I see a job ad from a federal government department or one of their contracted recruiters with this sort of mistake in it?

     

    Makes one wonder if it's worth applying.

     

    I agree with the smart phone comment above. With aviation terminology, the smart phone word suggest feature is not my friend. Best to actually take a moment to read what I write here before sending, rather than after...

     

     

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