Jim188

Hi All, What I am going to say is what most people will already know who wear glasses. When I first had trouble reading, liking most man, I raced out to get a $5 buck pair of magnifying glasses, problem solved. But when I decided to get back into flying GA and RAAus, my short and long vision required professional correction. I found an optometrist with some aviation experience and I got the following type glasses, multi-focal progressive lenses, with adaptive transition coating, with added protective lens coating and yep, it did cost a bit. The real stinger was that the GA medical, required me to have two pairs. My optometrist took everything into a account from my nose bridge height, my eye to lens distances, my horizontal distance and vertical alignment for the lens position to my eyes, the right frame type and size, made the final adjustments to the frame so the lens position sat perfectly on me head every time I put my glasses on. The progressive lenses tick all the boxes and I have found they are great to flying with during the day and night. The transition coating and tinting works for me in the cockpit, but then I have never been a sunglasses type pilot for glare. The optometrist had a bit of stuffing around getting the lenses focal positioning right, the first pair had one lens better than the other, the next pair was pretty good, but not quite right for my night vision, but I persisted in getting it sorted and with a final change to another frame size and further final adjustments, all was perfect. With my glasses I wear them all day, put them on in the morning and take them off at night. I could not go back to wearing glasses where you need to put them on and take them off to see different things, especially when it comes to flying. I hope this helps someone looking at glasses for the first time.

Hi All, It seems to me, everyone is running out getting ASIC's and some don't need them. So what's the real question that should be asked. Do I need an ASIC Card? Or can I really have a ASIC I.D., only if you Frequently fly into security airports. So what does Frequently mean. If someone frequently goes to the pub, it could be said they are going to the pub one or twice a week. If someone frequently goes to the beach, it could be said they are going once or twice every two weeks. If I am told someone frequently play tennis, you may think they play tennis weekly or fortnightly. Now, if I go to the pub once a month, would you say I am going to the pub frequently, often or regularly, I would say often, but certainly not frequently. What if you said to your Parents or Children,"I frequently visit you", would they agree with that statement if you visited them once or twice a month, they could think the term frequently is an overstatement on your behalf. So if you are flying into secure airports once, twice a month and nothing every second month or say over 52 weeks you do 105 landing, but only 30 are to a secure airports, does that make you feel that you are frequently landing at a secure airport and need a ASIC I.D. As you can see the meaning of frequently is very ambiguous and will have a different meaning to different people, but for me, I feel I don't need ASIC's because we don't frequently fly into secure airports under my meaning of frequently. Does that mean you can't fly into smaller regional security airports at times, certainly not. Make a phone call before hand and nicely explain that you don't frequently use secure airports, so you don't have an ASIC I.D.. But on this occasion you need to land at their airport, but remember it's still their airport and they will have some hoops for you to jump through to make it happen. Cheers

Hi Fellow Aviators, I don't spend much time on forums for many reasons, so I am not so well informed about the protocols of such things. But I see I have been given caution for my last post on this subject. Whilst it does not worry me so much, it does seems to be somewhat rude to caution a person without explanation. So if someone could explain what this caution is all about, I would be grateful. Cheers to All.

I have use Oz Runways over the past few years and found it to be good on an Ipad, but I am disappointed in this situation. I think Oz-Runways has walked away from this situation knowing that many people will not agree with the idea of their exclusivity rights only for their own product at a National Event being run by membership type organisations. More importantly we should support which ever organisation choose to leak this information, hang on, that's not the right word, it's not a leak, as we members of these organisation we are entitle to know details of what the Management Executives or the Boards Member are approving. Please, before anyone stands up and goes, Oh it's has to be Commercial in Confidence, well yes, but as a member of one of these organisations involved, I am entitled to see such agreements or deals that are made on behalf of my organisation and Commercial in Confidence allow for this, as I am an interested party to the agreement. . My company deals with such organisations all the time, if you are not happy doing business with Membership Organisations knowing that any or all of your financial transactions with them maybe scrutinized by it's membership and could find their way into the public domain, don't do business with these types of organisations it is that simple. It seems to me from the outside looking in, that the business principles used in this situation may have be lacking a far bit of business integrity for this type of event.

I might chime in on this issue, I am involved with many different events each year in a professional capacity. Some Event Requirements. Event Liability Insurance. Event Volunteer Insurance Event Airshow Insurance. Wet Weather Insurance Media, Advertising, Online Content. Office Consumables Event Staff. Staging Crew Council Costs, (Rubbish Collection, Hire of Council Own Facilities, Traffic Control, SES) Government Permits Police. Overnight Trade and Site Security Crowd Control. First Aid or Medical Personal. Event Electrician Portable Toilets for Public and Volunteer Base. Site Two-way Communications. (UHF etc.) Overall P.A. Systems AV Systems. Security Fencing. Portable Shower. Site Lighting. Power Generation. 3 phase Distro's & Power Leads Marques. Announcers & Commentators Stage or Presentation Risers Event Site Transport Cold Storage Dry Storage. This is a bit of a general list of event requirements to consider for an event, not all events need everything listed here and some may need a lot more that are not listed. But most come with a cost, if you can't get them donated or sponsored.

Well I got some flying in this afternoon as well. I've heard some people are thinking about another organisation to manage Sports Aviation. It seems our Government can't legislate to give one organisation a legislative monopoly over giving a service, unless it a Government run department like CASA. The Government removed the Australian Wheat Board on this premise a few years ago from having an legislative monopoly. At the time the Wheat Board was the only organisation that could sell Australian grown wheat, wheat sold here in Australian and Overseas, (they called it Single Desk). The Wheat Board control all wheat sale prices for Australian wheat, set costs for freight and storage, also set their own sales commission to charge the farmers. The Australian Wheat Board also controlled the quality standard for the wheat and from this, how much a farmer's wheat was worth and what they got paid for it. Anyway, it could be said that the Australia Government, if pushed, could no longer give an organisation like RAAus the legislative monopoly over the administration of Sports Aviation in Australia should another organisation come about wishing to do the same. It's an interesting thought and may answer the question I have been thinking, why would CASA offered Rec medical and Rec Pilots Licence, when its been CASA form for many recent years to run a mile from any further regulative obligations, especially when RAAus is already doing the job. I am thinking CASA would not do this type of thing for any small reason.

Sounds, good I need to do the same.

Hang on a second, are you saying that the CEO who manages RAAus, purchased a software program that can't handle late payments from members?

Hi Graham, The airstrip is over grown from what I have seen of it on site, but talk to Trevor at Clifton, he would know lots more. But it's fair walk into Leyburn, better to see if any of the members from Clifton go out to the sprints and hitch a ride with them.

Sorry, I have not read this whole thread, I have more important things to do, like going flying. This may have already been said and I don't like the direction RAAus is being taken away from it members driving the outcomes. How dump can some people be, just give the members a discount who pay on time, we would not even be having this conversation. It's then our choice to pay late if we need to for some reason and not being made to feel bad because of a late payment. In business it better to have a late payment than no payment.

I love it, love it, love it, "an then I met JIM", and then????? whats this squeeze primer bulb stuff, was't it your auxiliary fuel pump that just needed to be squeeze..... boy, for year's they told us, you can't fly over 500 ft, then one day, some boffin tells us we can't fly under 500 ft, So up over 500 ft , nose bleeds and back under 500 ft we wanted to go. Look how much piloting skills did we learn getting around under 500ft and doing it all legal, can't do that today. Oh.... I forgot something, it was a bit of a bugger for many, not being able to cross public roads.

Oh man, Frank, look at your hours, look at your life long passion for ultralighting and drifters:plane:, you have to tell your story about flying Nth. Qld. style. . Cheers.

Frank, not sure about the book writing and I am sure there are just as many other guys around with great stories. But Oh boy, all that stuff you talked about, it still was sitting around in the back of my mind, which I thought I had forgotten about. Yep, those gear boxes and cranks, had everyone, me included, flying around just waiting for the bang. I also welded up an early 503 exhaust several times, I tried beefing up the exhaust mounting plates each time thinking it can't crack now. It was not until I also redesign the mount to take the vibration that we stopped the cracking. My mounting was not so pretty compared to the later offering from Austflight, but it did the job. Boy you remember everything Frank, those spark plug caps, yet another reason to make you feel the engine was about to stop when it started to miss from this, never stop our engine, but a lead did come off once. I learnt very fast to very gently damaging the thread on new spark plugs so when these caps were screwed up tight they would bind into damage thread area and never came loose. What about those small rectangular impulse fuel pumps sitting right up against the side of the 503 block, one day this pump just started to cause grief to the owner of this early drifter. We thought it must be from wear, so it was replaced with new. All was happy until a mild hot day out in the mulga and the motor stopped. Once back on the ground the fuel bowl was found full and the engine fired into life like a happy little beaver. Some more ground running, but nothing, so back into the air again and then after a while it stopped and back on the ground to find the bowl full. Back up in the air again, but this time as the motor start to died, the drifter was put into a climb so the prop stopped against the engine compression so not windmill gliding back down, this time little fuel was in the bowl. So off came the fuel pump to be remounted away from the engine block so it had less heat and possible vaporization, this seemed to work. But it would have been better to also add an electric fuel pump, but at the time with this Drifter did not have any electrical or charging system, so this was not an option until a crude electrical rectifier came available from Austflight some time later that could also run some radios. This early drifter had a pull start on the motor and you had a choke leveler on the carburetor. The choke and pull start had not found their way up to the pilot's seat at this stage Cheers Jim188

Hi Frank, The motor was a Rotax 503, single carby and single ignition. In those early days, everyone was really experimenting and leaning what these snowmobile motors were going to be like. One thing I do remember even out in the bush, Bert and Jim's service and support was up there, even thought it was a big leaning curve for everyone involved. As some bigger hours where starting to be put on the odd drifter mustering, they started to find issues like exhaust spring wearing and then the ends breaking off and spring going through the prop. The odd gear box and crank shaft turned out at times not to be up to the job, the owner of the Drifter I did my first solo in, often was just waiting for their next plug to fowl and cause another engine failure. This had more to do with the 2 stroke oil that was being recommend at time. Yet five years later, when I got my Drifter, everyone was using different 2 stroke oil and those other smaller bugs had been sorted out, like safety wiring a few things on, little better spark plug caps, better understanding about 2 stroke oils, jetting and needles . Everyone had a lot more hours on drifters out mustering, but also clocking up many hours doing training, so the known reliability was growing better for every hour flown. My 503 single carby and single ignition motor had me in the air for a 100 plus hours a year and never cause me any problems, expect for the odd time when it was more human induced than anything else. Getting back to 25-313, I should let people know RevSmith turned out to be an old flying mate from many years ago, so the story of the owners or where Drifter 25-313 has ended up is still to be told. Cheers Jim188

Thanks Frank for doing the Facebook thing. You know Frank, I just had a look in my AUF log book to find it's been just over 30 years since my first solo flight in an Austflight Drifter. It was owned by Steve and Toby Robinson who trailed it around the stations and mulga ridges of Western Queensland displaying the drifter as the perfect mustering aircraft, it was, but the motor was not at the time. Must go work to do, but again thank you. Cheers Jim188

Revsmith, What a surprise you have given me to read your few words and the memories that came flooding back from so many years ago. Was I right to think we have found a past 313 Drifter owner, how else could you have heard this tale, unless it was from the history log of this great little aircraft. It was such an embarrassing thing you talk about, only a select few ever heard the story, but the lesson I got from this stood me in great stead, even to this day, in and outside the world of aviation. So who are you Revsmith in real life?, I guess some here may already know this or are you just a gun slinger from another world. Cheers Jim188

Hi Frank, I really don't know much about face book, except it seems people either love it or hate it. But if you could put the word out that would be appreciated. Cheers Jim188

Thanks Frank, I did a bit of a search a little time back and found an RA-AUS spreadsheet file on-line that was a few years old with 25- aircraft registrations. If I remember correctly 25-313 had been non registered for year or so at that time. So I am thinking it maybe sitting in someones farm shed, just wanting to fly again like me. I have not contact RA-Aus, as I was not sure how they felt about handing out past or current aircraft owners details, after I heard RA-Aus has strong feelings about not giving Av-Data any aircraft or ownership details. .But thank you Frank for your time, as you have enthused me to contact RA-Aus in this new year. Happy New Year with many hours aloft Jim188

Hi All, Great to see people still love the Drifter, many years ago I learnt to fly in an AustFlight Drifter. Then I brought my own Drifter and had some great flying in it until my wife said, it's about time we got something so I don't feel little a dog in the back of a Ute on longer flights. I then moved into the GA world for a time and then gave away flying for many years until now. I sold my drifter to someone unknown, it's rego was 25-313. I am just wondering and hoping it's still flying and giving someone hours of fun like it had for me as the second owner. Cheer to All. Drifter Pilots are some of the best around.