lazerin

Thanks guys, glad you liked them. Doug, I do enjoy a bit of cricket every now and then, it's a shame we lost the series to RSA, but they batted quite well (i'm hoping we bowl them out in this next period after the tea break...come on!!!). B&W is always a bit tricky for me. I often have difficulty picking the right subjects for B&W, but I definitely agree that there is a certain elegance and "pop" about them that makes them more defined. What I'd really like to get into, now that I've started flying, is aerial and air to air photography. There's potential for some awesome eye candy sunset/sunrise shots. Skykid, please do share some of your shots! I'm using a Fujifilm s6500fd (too poor to afford a DSLR ). I'm pretty happy with it though, "decent" lens for a superzoom (28-300mm) and full manual controls. It's no DSLR but it'll do for now. My personal favourite shot is: 10 Second Man

How quickly do charts expire? I haven't actually started any navigation work yet, and probably won't for a bit (just soloed today)...hehe, perhaps I'm too eager and should wait until I actually start using charts to explore this stuff.

+1 Yay! hehehe :big_grin:

This is awesome. I'm gonna try it out on my HTC Diamond. Which charts should I get? WAC and VTC?

Hi Skykid, I do a little bit just for fun. You can check out my (extremely outdated) gallery at http://www.kianlim.com.

Thanks Mike, that's all I wanted to know :thumb_up:

Just wondering, if you hold a RAA licence, are you able to fly a VH registered aircraft? Let's just say it's the exact same type that you've been flying under your RAA licence but this particular one has a VH registration. Conversely, if someone has a PPL/CPL, can they under any circumstance pilot a RAA registered aircraft? From what I've read, this is a no? Not even if it's an aircraft that they're familiar and have flown in?

Haha excellent, it all makes sense now. I was just having a silly moment. So just for my own sake: at night, temperature reduces, thus air has less kinetic energy and the pressure is less. Hence, QNH is lower at night with reduced temperature. All good Bas, I hope the wind isn't too bad tomorrow, I'm still struggling on the landings and if it's bad, might have to call it off. Good news is I've already done the solo exams and that wasn't too bad, just gotta get these landings!! Have a good flight tomorrow :thumb_up:

Haha, ok, I like that.

Need a little help to clarify pressures and QNH. If the QNH is increased from 1010 to 1015, then is the air more or less dense than it was at 1010? In my head, a lower QNH value means the air is more dense, i.e. 1010 is more dense than 1015. I came to this conclusion by looking at the weather logs. At night, the QNH seems to go down, and I assume that with the night being colder, the air would be denser... But this seems wrong according to the books. They say that there is a drop of 1hPa per 30ft of altitude. Doesn't that mean that as the QNH falls, then the air is getting less dense? Argh!

My instructor taught me an easy rule: If it's written, it's true. If it's spoken, it's magnetic. Thus, all TAF, ARFOR, METAR, SPECI etc are in true. ATIS will be magnetic.

Geebus! Reading the title and comments first I thought the propeller flew off when they were doing their normal runup checks, but this is worse.

I got flying lessons to get my RA-Aus licence from my parents :big_grin: Though technicaly, I "opened" my present early, as I started my lessons about two weeks ago, so that I may hopefully complete it all in January sometime.

Brodie, I've just started doing circuits and I know exactly what you mean. I also have a problem when trying to slow the plane down after landing and applying the differential brakes evenly! Swervy mc swerve.

Well done!! Must be an awesome feeling. :thumb_up: May I ask what sort of curveballs you got?

Oh whoops, haha yup, that's what I meant, the temp :D

I finally started my training in the sportstar down at Parafield this week. Our little plane seems to have a perculiar oil pressure i.e. it's always low. Instructor and maintenance said it's always been like that and haven't had a problem. Just wondering if anyone else's sporty has the same issue?

Hey guys, I've just started learning this week in the sportstar, ab initio, and I've done 4.6 hours now. The last two time's I was up, I started feeling a bit weird in the stomach as we headed back to the airfield and this feeling would continue until I ate something!! It's strange, because most people I know would have the opposite feeling i.e. they wouldn't want to touch food at all when they're feeling a bit sick. However, for me, the cure seems to be to consume a quick sandwich and I'm right to go.

Seb, give 7-zip a try. It's free and will work with pretty much all different compression types.

Awesome, thanks guys! I'll start with reading the flying training manual and I'll contact my instructor to see what they suggest.

Hey all, I've just acquired the Student Pilot Kit and would like to read up as much as possible before starting my lessons, hopefully this weekend. What is the best way to study through the three books? (i.e. "Basic Aeronautical Knowledge", "The Flying Training Manual" and "Flight Radio for Pilots"). Should I read one before the other? Or should I read one chapter at a time and alternate books e.g. read chp1 of BAK, then chap 1 of TFTM and finally chap 1 of FRFP and then start with chap 2 of BAK and repeat. Or any other way? Any pointers would be appreciated!! Cheers! (i'm excited!)

Anyone know how to modify the panel to remove the attitude indicator and move a few gauges around? I'd really like to emulate this panel if possible:

That was easy, thanks Ian!

Hey guys, I want to get a class 2 medical and was just wondering what sort of paper work I need. I have already obtained my ARN from casa. Is this all that's required? I understand that I need to bring my ARN as well as photo ID to the DAME, but do I need to bring anything else? Specifically, do I need to bring the forms etc or will the doctor have them? If I need to bring forms etc, which ones are they and where can I get them? Cheers!

Although I haven't even started training yet, I feel obliged to contribute my thoughts. I'm of the opinion that a simple medical should be compulsory for all who intend to fly. There are too many "silent" conditions that, as the name implies, go unnoticed and could have detrimental effects. A simple example would be uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure). This is a classic silent disease which predisposes you to strokes, TIA's, myocardial infarctions (heart attacks), angina, acute bouts of shortness of breath, peripheral vascular disease (cramping of your legs as you're trying to coordinate a turn on final...). These potential complications all occur suddenly and would immediately hamper your ability to pilot the aircraft. A simple medical would pick this up and the recommended management would be to achieve adequate control for say, 3months, and you would be allowed to fly. Granted, these risks apply to road users as well, but it would simply be too much to implement. Piloting an aircraft carries significantly more risk, in my opinion, than driving a car, though I accept that this is arguable. Again, a simple medical would not encompass as much as the Class 1, but it's a good screening tool.