MattP

Sure can (note I use a stratux box so ymmv depending on what you have) but it works fine with no cellular connection, and much more accurate than the internal gps.

One of the other things to consider when thinking about cost effectiveness of your training is that you will have different requirements / a learning style that suits you and that just because one place is cheaper than the other doesn't mean it will be more cost effective or cheaper in the long run. There's plenty of forum posts / topics on the internet for you to google on this, but one thing that you can't under emphasise is the requirement for you to feel comfortable and able to learn effectively with your instructor and chosen school / club. I have burned a lot of money and hours in the past on cheapest vs best value for money and whilst I'm grateful that the experience has taught me what I don't want or won't tolerate in a school / instructor, I wish I could have done it more cheaply. The answer on RPC and PPL is hard as it depends on what you want to do, if all you want is to fly and just burn holes in the sky (metaphorically) on lazy Sunday afternoons OCTA, or even travel interstate, then RPC will be more than enough for you. As you develop, you will get a feel for what you might want or not want to do next, IE NVFR, IFR, flying overseas (USA, Europe etc) then a PPL will be the next step. With that comes more complexity in admin (medical, more exams etc) and some additional components not taught at RPC level (CTA, basic instrument flight and radio navigation ) but more responsibility and flexibility in terms of passengers and conditions. Good news is the hours all count and you're flying! Once you have both, you also can take your pick dependent on what suits your flying needs. Again, the benefits of learning in GA and then going RAA at a later date or vice versa are widely debated and you'll find no shortage of opinions. Whatever you decide, you'll be flying. Moving from one to another isn't too onerous once you have the base skills built up. In terms of 3 axis RAA vs light GA, you won't find too much difference in how they fly and all the things you learn are directly applicable. Flying is flying and its mostly procedural and aircraft specific, which you'll find anyway as you move from type to type. In terms of 40yo spam can vs light new RAA wonder, I'm a little less black and white in that. I find that GA aircraft ride bumps better in general than an RAA aircraft and make for a more comfortable ride, and being bigger can help with passenger confidence. Also, depending on where you go, there's no hard and fast rule saying you need to fly a 40yo GA aircraft, again you just need to be prepared to pay for the privilege, which again is a value for money thing. As with the other posts, the RPL / RPC thing is a bit of a weird middle ground, and not too across it in detail so can't offer much there. Hope that helps with your decision.

Agree 100% to not being a complete answer, and the book doesn’t always say pull caps. Smoke and Fire Cabin Fire In Flight 1. Bat-Alt Master Switches ........................................ OFF, AS REQ’D 2. Fire Extinguisher............................................................ACTIVATE If airflow is not sufficient to clear smoke or fumes from cabin: 3. Cabin Doors ...................................................... PARTIALLY OPEN Airspeed may need to be reduced to partially open door in flight. 4. Avionics Power Switch .............................................................OFF 5. All other switches .....................................................................OFF 6. Land as soon as possible. If setting master switches off eliminated source of fire or fumes and airplane is in night, weather, or IFR conditions: 7. Airflow Selector ........................................................................OFF 8. Bat-Alt Master Switches ............................................................ ON 9. Avionics Power Switch .............................................................. ON 10. Required Systems.................................... ACTIVATE one at a time 11. Temperature Selector............................................................COLD 12. Vent Selector.........................FEET/PANEL/DEFROST POSITION 13. Airflow Selector .............................. SET AIRFLOW TO MAXIMUM 14. Panel Eyeball Outlets............................................................OPEN 15. Land as soon as possible.

I’ve been lurking here for a while but only just decided to post, so hello everyone. I find the BRS debate interesting and found myself thinking about this particular incident and if as a last resort it would have made a difference, and to SplitS post if its there and available, I’m pulling. What it doesn’t do is address the root cause of this problem, which is also a wide and varied debate. Some perspective on BRS from my experience is that I’ve found my attitude changing over time as I’ve had my mission and priorities change. In the early days I thought I was invincible, and well a parachute for your plane, who woulda thunk it? Then as I got into rec flying versus certified, I started noticing these red handles and thought ok cool, but it’s just me and I’d back my skills to forced land this bird into a paddock over the mercies of floating down, especially lower inertia LSA types. Even had a few people suggest to leave the pin in! Then along comes family and a need to carry more on longer trips. Looking at the 40+ year old spam cans on the flight line as a renter, I wanted more. Getting the other half to sign off on family trips was made a load easier by showing her a cirrus. New yep, comfortable, yep feels like something you’d pay the stupid amounts you pay to fly for, and it’s got that parachute.... I was initially skeptical but I found the conversion training to be amongst the best delivered content I’ve experienced for aviation training I’ve had and their take not what I expected (was expecting hours of shots of caps handles) but they‘ve worked hard to detail the use of another system you as pic have available and can decide to use or not. Making this part of your workflow is handled well as is the pre flight brief to the point it just becomes part of what you do. At the end of the day if it saves my bacon or someone I care about, then I’m a fan and will use it. The fitment of a BRS has become a no go item for the family trips or nervous passenger flights, whereas flying with other pilots / aviation tragics allows a higher level of informed risk acceptance.