Geoff13

Hi all.  Having recently moved to Perth does anyone know of any Drifters for hire nearby. I am south west of Perth.  

If there are no drifters, are there any RAA hire aircraft nearby.

3 hours ago, facthunter said:

I've forgotten how long ago I stopped smoking.. That ones a no brainer. GOOD wine is so cheap it's hard to stop, but getting there.  Nev

I gave up on my 34th birthday so 28 years and 6 weeks ago.

On 29/12/2020 at 5:14 PM, jackc said:

I bought my plane in March ‘20 realising that the pandemic could cause me problems sourcing one out of state in the future,

I just sucked it up facing financial uncertainty as well.  It’ was a case of make a quick decision in case I missed out.

Took  investment money out to do it, realising I don’t have a stack of life left on this earth.......it was now or never.

Sometimes you just have to make a decision and run with it........the future is never guaranteed.

I had a very good friend in 2008 make that same decision. 

He decided that life was short and he was not getting any younger.  

In a totally out of character move he cashed $80,000 worth of shares and bought 2 of his bucket list motorcycles. A HD Ultraglide and a Goldwing.

2 weeks later his shares would have been worth less than $10,000.

His opinion is that he just got the best bargain of his life.

Now he and I realise that long term his shares may have rebounded but in his words who cares that is 2 off the bucket list.

2 minutes ago, turboplanner said:

That's not what he said.

He was just saying his understanding is that you have to train in a rag and tube to fly in a rag and tube, and instructors are very scarce these days.

RAA should be paying attention to this and ensuring new instructors are trained because this is the affordable entry level.

What's happening is the people have the impression they can train in a Jab or similar, and then go and do long distance touring, so they bypass Drifters etc.

If you look at the history in the posts on this site, you'll find hundreds who did this and then did a cross country flight or two and then had a density ht, nav, weight, fuel exhaustion incident or found they couldn't carry enough to tour comfortably, or just couldn't handle the logistics of flight planning ahead for fuel and then finding their information was wrong, or getting stranded in a strange two by bad weather, and usually the wife put her foot down, or they just figured it was easier to tow a caravan and they moved on. In some cases the trip storiess will give way to reports on fly ins and breakfasts, but after a few of these you can tell they are losing interest and they move on.

 

These aircraft are not GA aircraft, the training is not GA training, the equipment level is not touring aircraft level and I suspect in the medium term, particularly if a few new GA entrepreneurs show up with new aircraft,  that the mix pendulum will shift back. 

 

Rag and Tube is a lot more social for building and flying.

 

If you look at recent comments from the heavier end of RA, the big issue is Hangarage. A little bit of lateral thinking to introduce trailerable aircraft would probably be The catalyst.

 

 

 

 

Rag and tube involves a lot more socialising to build them and keep them in the air.

 

I am not convinced that lack of instructors are really the problem so much as lack of aircraft.

A Drifter can actually become very expensive to fly in a school due to the very short (compared to 4 stroke) engine life.

ie 300 hours to rebuild.

If there was a school with one for hire within an hours drive of me, I would be there every weekend.

Sadly there is not.

I do however know of several instructor who are qualified to instruct on them.

It does seem the in reality there are not enough people wanting to fly drifters and the like to make them economically viable to a school.

On 01/12/2020 at 10:13 AM, old man emu said:

A flaw in my otherwise flawless conditions. However, from here on in, I will specify that the wind speed is measured by a hot-wire anemometer. They take advantage of the fact that air cools a heated object when it flows over it. In a hot-wire anemometer, an electrically heated, thin wire is placed in the wind. The amount of power needed to keep the wire hot is used to calculate the wind speed. The higher the wind speed, the more power is required to keep the wire at a constant temperature.

Of course if you mount two of these side by side (as in the Leopard tank TFCS) you can also tell the direction of the wind.

However if mounted along the centre line of the vessel with the wind blowing from astern, it would not give a reading. 

Oh to live in a theoretical world. Sorry OME just playing.

Take your hearing aids out :)

But seriously I turn my hearing aids right down and use EQ1 Noise Cancelling Headset.

In my case it is a case of having enough noise to hear the engine.

I hope to hear a problem before the gauges can tell me that I have one.

Different headsets lol. I bought the rec flying ones first then later on bought some EQ1's.

I was cleaning out the shed last week and came across the RF ones so decided to move them on.

After grounding myself over 2 years ago for medical reasons, and only having flown 2.5 hours in the last half of 2018 and 1.6 hours last year accompanied by an instructor and having sold my plane.

With no recurrence of my medical condition for over 18 months, and the approval of my Doctor, I decided that it was time to try again.

In the last 4 weeks I have flown 5.8 hours in 2 different aircraft and am feeling confident in both my health and my flying.

It is wonderful to get back up there a do what I love doing.

I do not regret grounding myself or selling my plane, as both were done for the right reasons, but I did not realise how much I missed flying.

But I am back now and looking forward to the next chapter of my flying journey.

Fact:- We have lost more Afganistan Vets to suicide since they came home than we lost during the whole conflict.

Freight traveling North is Prime freight.

There is no such thing as backload freight, have you ever seen a truck driving backwards up the highway?

Interestingly my first job tomorrow is to collect a container of surgical gloves ex China and deliver to a medical supply company.

So stuff is still coming in from China.

OK after further research the Qld Police commissioner has stated the fines will be revoked.

Essentially if a business can stay open under the rules then people can use that business so long as the follow social distancing guidelines.

ie We had an over zealous copper which as I see it is the biggest risk in all of this, some bullies using this crisis to flex muscle that they have no right to flex.

Not as funny as it sounds, the Willawong Tip in Brisbane is still open to the public, however a man was fined yesterday for going there.

Sweden is going to be an interesting exercise, they have refused to introduce restrictions on movement, they just expect people to, "think about what they are doing, and do the right thing". I can't see that ending well.

 

Sweden currently has 400 deaths from COVID-19 (10 times Australias total virus deaths), for a population that is half of Australia.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-07/coronavirus-sweden-adopting-more-flexible-approach/12118422

450,000 sq klms against our 7.62 million sq klms.

Sorry but not a valid comparison.

That looks like a genuine Cavalry Saddle, could you show a photo of the other side please. Circa early 1900's

If it is what I think it is then it is truly a collectors item.

I have actually ridden on one, a truly uncomfortable piece of equipment if ever there was one.

I did see a directive from the Qld Chief Medical Officer where he stated that riding motorcycles was a form of exercise and that fishing was a form of passive exercise, and as such both were permissible under the current regulations. Social distancing still to be adhered to at all times. I can't find it atm, but I have seen them both. I wonder if recreational flying could come under the same rules. Either way under social distancing I would translate that to mean only 1 person permitted in a recreational aircraft.

.

A recent flight. In Feb I took my RV4 down to Maryborough and the chap intending to buy it drove up from NSW. The sale was dependent on a demo flight.

Looking at him I reckoned I had better check W & b, he reckoned he was 100kg, which would put me slightly over max weight with the fuel I had on board, also I m sure the balance would have been out, so no flight for him.

We had a big storm overnight and it was still lingering, low cloud and skuddy rain. A Cessna Caravan came in, dropped off its passengers and departed. Weather still poor, but improving. Later the cloud seemed to have lifted, I reckoned there was 1000' all round close to the strip, but denser cloud to the SE.

I decided to do a circuit, just to demonstrate that the plane would fly and away I went. All looked good still good visibility beneath the cloud ahead, but next thing I am in that whispy stuff below the cloud, I have plenty of visibility just slightly downwards, but ahead no horizon. The only thing to do is descend and at this time I am going over houses, the altimeter reads 500' Round I go and I can see the airstrip, Over the river and back to a low base leg, no time to do anything except land the plane, taxi in.

The buyer said I disappeared from his view before I turned and he didn't see me again untll I landed.

I was well and truly fooled by the sight picture of the clouds, the ceiling looked higher than it was because I couldn't see that there was a great depth of those whispy tendrils hanging below the visible cloud. I hate skud running, because the temptation is to be as high as possible, which puts you in just the situation I found myself in. Luckily Maryborough is fairly flat and doesn't have any high obstacles.

So after all that, did he buy it? :)

I thought as much!

What would you know about commercial charter flying unless you've don't it, you've been there with the subtle commercial pressure that's with every pilot !

It has nothing to do with right or wrong otherwise we wouldn't be talking about the realities of GA it's to do about the risks involved in flying, risks that are fluid, the risks of carrying actual people not freight, the risks of not being able to complete the task!

 

Scenario:(nothing like driving a truck!) you plan to fly 8 stock buyers to a once a year stock sale where big dollars change hands. This is your big break after not long joining the company getting the job by the skin of your teeth as the competition was fierce!

You plan the flight and launch legally in good faith. Along the route the WX appears worse than forecast and at your destination it's deteriorated. One of the big players onboard asks 'we are going to be able to land aren't we'? There's the first subtle pressure.

You make an App in low cloud and turbulence, the pax are grumbling mumbling we better land and soon! You miss out & make a missed App. One guy says with a stern voice 'we have a big day ahead we don't want to be late'! More subtle pressure!

You miss out on a 2nd App and are sweating profusely by now. You turn to the pax and say I'll give it one more go then we have to return, it's not pretty the pressure now being put on you is making you feel sick! At the minimum on the 3rd App you still don't see the ground but go a little lower anyway, finally below what you feel comfy with you get kind of visual and circle damned close to the tree tops and nearly forget to put the gear down prior to landing, you pull-up to the gate, it's drizzling outside, 8 grumpy guys get off and disappear in to the waiting mini bus. The rest of the day you feel almost sick!

My "mythical" story could easily fit the very crash we are talking about here!

That's COMMERCIAL pressure, nothing like driving yr truck!!

Actually it is exactly like driving a truck. I have been sacked for refusing to run out of hours.

I have also been sacked for refusing to run overweight and then whilst I was collecting my gear out of the trailer tool box I have had someone come and hurry me up so he could hook onto the trailer and go.

As a PIC you are trained to, and paid to make correct safe decisions. That's why there are so many rules, regulations and training.

If every pilot did what they were paid and trained to do then your point would be invalid.

Pressure is something we allow other people to apply to us.

Our job be it truckie, coach captain, Pilot or Skipper is to do our job 1. safely and 2 legally.

If you can't do that then get a job in a different industry where the pressure is not so tough.

That's what happens when employees lose any bargaining they had, no choice but do what your told (illegal or not) or no job.

There is always a choice.

No job is better than an unsafe job.

It just needs more people to stand up and be counted.

The transport industry is changing, COR rules are not enforced anywhere near enough yet but we are getting there slowly.

What type of charter flying do you do?

It has nothing to do with what the business is it is about right and wrong.

I was simply highlighting that commercial considerations affect all business and there is absolutely no reason to swap commercial decisions for safety.

Real world GA is there is always commercial expectations and operational imperatives, you wouldn't get or keep a job without that. People working for nothing or very little don't have a choice but do what their told.

I have this argument every day.

Drivers complaining about being forced to do stuff they are not comfortable with.

My answer is always the same, just don't do it.

There are no buts or what ifs, if it is not legal or not safe do not do it.

If enough people stand up for what is right we all win.

And before anyone says it is easier said than done, it is easy to do.

I have lost so many customers because I refused to run overweight or over hours etc, but the customers that I keep are bloody good ones.

I have what I call the Grandfather test, when I do something with a truck or any vehicle, I ask myself this question,

"Would I drive this down the street where my Daughter is dropping my Grandkids at school?"

If the answer is no then it simply does not move.

Queen Elizabeth dropped in to Hobart - here she is leaving today.

 

(Sorry about the picture quality, shot with a phone from about a kilometre away).

 

[ATTACH type=full" alt="Queen.jpg]51188[/ATTACH]

Are you sure it was The Queen Elizabeth because a week ago in Brisbane it was the Queen Mary 2?

I drove past Archerfield Wednesday 11 Dec 19. There was a single engine high wing aircraft just to the edge of the northernmost runway.

From the distance I was it appeared to have a collapsed nose wheel.

It was surrounded by emergency services.

Does anyone know what happened?

I would have been happy to deliver your container for you, I could have helped unpack it and taken the empty away. I would have only charged you a joy flight in the finished product. ?

Welcome home Mike, did you receive my last PM?

I hope to be down that way late Jan or Early Feb next year.