Flyingphot

I have been asked to train a pilot in a Roko aircraft. Having not flown the Roko I will need to do some familiarisation flying but would like to hear from anyone with experience on type who can give me any pointers Cheers. Bill

I had not taken any offence. I felt the original post was not having a shot but needed clarification. Those who know me know I’m pretty easy going and I think this attitude is not always accepted. I’m fine with that. Cheers all and end of discussion. Happy New Year

I read this thread with interest as the aircraft involved is mine. Whilst the writer is correct in saying there was damage to the wingtip, he has somewhat exaggerated the extent of the damage. The incident, which was duly reported, also involved a prop striking the ground when the pilot hiring the aircraft was exiting a runway a bit too fast. This involved a gearbox removal and overhaul by Bert Flood and a new set of prop blades. Whilst this was being done the wing was inspected by a L2 and a Lame and found to have no structural damage. Damage was assessed as cosmetic and involved a 150 mm long abrasion to the fibreglass wing tip and slight scrape and denting to the lower wingtip skin which extended about 50mm from the tip. The last foot and a half was not bent up but needed replacing as it was all one piece and had the scrape and dent in it. I remember your visit and as I recall you cited time and weather as your reason for not choosing to fly with me, but I felt at the time that you were being polite and I had noticed your attitude change when we discussed th wingtip. Also I felt that my casual attitude did not sit well with you. I totally respect your decision not to fly with me. I have done the same with others. I would have had more respect had you spoken to me about your concerns but really have no problems. As for your concerns about me having trouble seeing the ground because of cloud, I don’t recall the context in which I said that, but I don’t deny it. I use my mistakes and poor decisions as training tools and never claim to be perfect. As anyone who has numerous thousands of hours experience will tell you, if they are being honest, it is easy to push the limits thinking we are ok only to then wish we hadn’t. I use my indiscretions as examples to my students as to how easy it is to get things wrong. I remember you were looking for an aircraft type to buy and I sincerely hope that your poor opinion of me did not cause you to shy away from the Savannah which is a mighty aircraft for those who want it’s special capabilities. I hope you have found the aircraft that suits your needs and that you are enjoying your flying. cheers. Bill p.s. thanks to the responder who suggested that I am a shonky operator. Been called lots of things in my time but this is my first shonky. Will wear it with pride

Hi Mark The manual for the "S" model dated Nov 2014 still called for rivets only so those aircraft are not wrong. If they required changing ICP would have sent out an AD to all users. That said it is obviously an improvement and I will be incorporating it in my building and rebuilding from now on. Must be safer if the seat belts are ever used in anger. Cheers Bill

Hi Can anyone give me info on the use of Opal 91 fuel as available in communities in NT. Can it be used in 912 ULS engine and does octane booster work with it. Cheers Bill

Thanks for the replies I will call a broker and see what is available. I just was thinking others must have gone through this but none have replied. Cheers Bill

Can anyone give me an idea of the cost of airfield operators insurance. I may have the opportunity to make use of a disused private airfield but the owner wants protection from liability. I would be happy to pay but would like to have an idea of what i need and how much it costs. Cheers Bill

You should be able to go one day without a shower Scott, we won't talk about you. We will see you there Cheers. Bill

I agree totally Ian. Just my opinion but if we increase weight limits, LAMEs are going to claim that they must maintain them. Also if we get CTA, CASA will most likely require aircraft using CTA to be maintained by LAMEs. It would be very surprising to me if this would not eventually lead to ALL RAAus aircraft being required to be maintained by LAMEs. The other benefit we (RA) have is a much more relaxed driver license medical than even the RPL driver license medical. I can't see CASA allowing access to CTA/CTR without a class 2 medical. For those who want those things, get an RPL and you have them. Cheers. Bill

I agree totally Turbo, but much of the increasing level of regulation is of a totally bureaucratic nature and the 'duty of care' excuse is again trotted out. Too often the care in Duty of Care stands for Cover Arse Remain Employed. For decades aviation has been carried out safely, by applying common sense and personal responsibility. Now it must be regulated so the lawyers can make a lot of money arguing over the meaning of a word which was unnecessary in the first place.

ridiculous regulation increases non-compliance and eventually normalizes non-compliance to the point that necessary regulation is ignored. We should be reducing regulation and increasing compliance....Bill

I have known Ross for quite a number of years and catch up at flying events. He had a unique way of making you feel that the time you spent with him was very important to him. A very easy person to know, like and admire. Jenni and I will miss catching up with him. We are very saddened. Condolences are offered to his family and close friends. R.I.P. mate Bill

Must reply to this. There are three reasons to burp engine before cold start Check oil level Check compression Coat internals Oil levels need to be checked after burping to blow oil from sump to oil tank. Oil level then needs to be on the flat and preferably in the upper half. Compression check is an important check for overall engine condition. If you feel less compression than you are used to, don't fly but check further. Coating internals is important as oil runs down the side of cylinder and piston and winding over spreads remaining oil over surfaces while engine is not under load and is a good practice for long engine life. Hope this helps to answer questions Cheers, Bill

Hi Rob Happy New Year Have you got the Savvy back in the air yet Would love to see some pics of the end result Cheers Bill

Hi Neil I can help you. I have about 1700 hrs on Savannahs of all models. I am also a CFI and live in the area. Call me on 0448 728 899 Cheers Bill

Hi Steve Long time no talk. I've been pretty busy. Only log in occasionally to catch up on news. How far are you along with the "S". the hangar is looking good. Looking forward to the Savannah Muster. Cheers Bill

Hi Mike Glad you got back safely - unfortunate about the plane but that can be fixed. As to the toe brakes issue, I use my plane for training and found students were having trouble with inadvertent braking, especially on takeoff, so I adjusted the brake pedals to lean as far forward as possible. However with Mark being a big fella, he has the rudder pedals in the most forward position possible and this does not allow room for the brake pedal to be leaned forward. Take a bit of practice to always have your heels on the floor to keep toes off the brakes. Cheers Bill

In response to the original question by ave8rr, I have built a classic (early version) and a VG and now own a XL factory built. When the Sav first came to Aust the factory listed the MTOW for Australia as 520Kg. When the Norway Sav lost it's wing and all Savs were grounded, ICP put out the upgrade kit. This was comprised of 1. replacing the single short main spar strut attachment with two longer strut attachments. 2. a thicker rear wing attachment plate 3. a jury strut on the front strut 4. an extra internal bottom angular on each side of the rear fuselage from the rear of the cabin to about half way back along the fuselage, and 5. two extra light weight bulkheads in the rear fuselage. This upgrade increased the MTOW to 560 Kg although at that time we were still restricted to 544 Kg by the regulations. Hope this all helps Cheers Bill

I am not too sure that full disclosure of the cause of an accident, especially if it is "pilot error", would result in less occurrences. Just look at the 'turn back after EFATO' accident rate - we do not learn from the mistakes of others. Also there has been lots of talk about "coronal inquiries". I remember reading a report from the coroner of a fatality of a well known aerobatic pilot a few years back (I believe reported on this forum) in which the coroner based her findings on the expert opinion of a LAME and found that Rotax engines had a habit of stopping without obvious reason. This was referring to the 912 engine which is recognized world wide for exactly the opposite. Coroners are only legal people with great powers to investigate. This does not mean that the result of their investigations, or mainly the opinion they form from those results, are accurate. This is just my observation. Bill

Just came across this thread - don't forget that the oil level is not the only reason to burp your engine before flight. The act of turning your engine over a few times when cold before starting is also to spread the slight amount of remaining oil over all surfaces and so reduce wear immediately after start up - as this is the worst possible time for wear. Also a lot of oil will accumulate in the sump overnight even if you have burped when hot. All this said, as long as whatever you do is consistent you should get a good result. Cheers Bill

so kick it straight before touch down

I'm about 30 seconds from my hangar and strip. Only problem is the strip is only 140 metres overall so experienced Savannah drivers only. Mark and Shafs, the sportstar at Kev's is no longer available

Hey Neil, got back today, heading back to the Isa in a couple of weeks. I'll try to catch up this week.

Before anyone gets the wrong idea from some of the replies here, if one wants to use GA hours for an RAAus certificate, they must also do (RAAus Ops Manual2.07 b. (3))" ....a minimum of 5 hours flying experience flying recreational aircraft which must include at least one hour solo: or 2.07 c. If holding a current PPL or higher licence, have completed such dual training in a low performance recreational aircraft as is deemed necessary by a CFI and , in any case shall have not less than 5 hours flying experience in a low performance recreational aircraft which shall include a minimum of one hour solo; or 2.07 d. if passed a current GFPT or higher licence, have completed such dual training in a high performance recreational aircraft as is deemed necessary by a CFI. Note: For the purpose of para C above experience in a GA aircraft may be counted towards the 5 hours(up to the full amount) provided the experience was gained in a recreational aircraft type which may be registered on either the RA-Aus or the VH register, e.g. Jabiru, Gazelle, Skyfox, Lightwing as recognised by the RA-Aus Operations Manager or their delegate. Simply said this means if you want your PPL hours counted, unless they were in aircraft types as per the note, you must do a minimum of 5 hours and prove your competence. Cheers Bill

I have just completed 3 weeks of instructing in north west Qld and I can assure you that conditions locally can change rapidly. When departing with a 10 knot wind down the strip for an exercise in the training area, it is not unusual to return to find a swirling, gusting, 20 kt wind 30 to 40 degrees off the strip direction. I believe I have a duty of care to my students to ensure that before they encounter these conditions solo, that they have demonstrated that they can handle them competently with me there to show them how. On sunday morning my first student, who is nearing certificate standard, and I spent an hour shooting circuits in windy gusting x-wind conditions which were close to the aircraft's limits. My next student, who was there for his 3rd lesson, climbing and descending, was most disappointed when he was told, no fly today, because he would have gained nothing from flying in those conditions. I believe it is my responsibility as an instructor, to adequately prepare my students to be able to handle these very real and common conditions before they have to handle them solo. I am not a hero and I am certainly not showing off my amazing (my description) abilities, what I am doing is exercising my duty of care. Safety through training. Cheers, Bill