Pearo

My post was probably a bit brief, but its perfectly legal if conditions are met. Worth noting that certain aerodromes prohibit straight in approaches. IT may be legal, does not mean mean its the best way to do it. The only time I will do a straight in approach is when I am in CTA. The only time I do a base join is if no one is in the circuit (read no broadcasts are received from anyone in the circuit), and I broadcast my intentions at the CTAF boundary or reporting point, as well as broadcasting my descent to circuit height with intentions to join base.

Legally you can join anywhere, although straight in approaches are often outlawed at many aerodromes, and there is broadcast requirements. I often join base at YRED, but only if its quiet; I respect other aircraft in the circuit, I transmit my intentions well before I get to the circuit and if there is any potential conflict I will just overfly and join crosswind. YCAB is a crazy airport at the best of times with its fair share of cowboys, not to mention gliding operations and parachute drops. I would overfly, descend on the dead side and join crosswind. I reckon its going to get hectic there from tomorrow on, remember the new CTAF frequency is 125.85 from midnight tonight. IF you have 2 COM's, I would been tuning into 118.8 for a few months.

Did you keep flying commercial after PNG?

I actually read that book on aforementioned flight on A380 to LAX!

Its funny how many people think this, but alas engine at full RPM on a plane does not increase takeoff performance by any useful margin on a piston engine aircraft. The idea of take off RPM on the brake is purely for ensuring engine performance (static RPM) prior to rolling. Just like dropping the clutch on a 351GT, there is a lot of prop slip. This is why drag cars like to minimse wheel spin!

This is true. I also got spoiled over the winter, got my RPL and have been doing heaps of personal flights in near perfect conditions, then summer has to come along with its thermals!! Mind you, I did get a few scary days with the westerlies of the ranges to the west of Brisbane, lots of upset air!. I am starting to readjust to the summer conditions again though. BTW, Went up to see the Sunny Coast Controllers after I landed today. Nice to talk face to face with the people who guide us in. I mentioned that it must get frustrating dealing with us noobs all the time, but the reassured me that 90% of their traffic is training and its part of their job. Anyone doing CTA should try and get into the local tower for a visit. I like reading the accident stuff. Understanding why things happen is part of the process of learning. I have taken a lot from both the Air Crash Investigations show and from reading ATSB bulletins. About the only incident that put me off, was the day before my final Solo Nav, a student in Vic crashed (fatal) doing the exact same nav, same type aircraft. I went up for my solo after an aircraft change (rejected the first plane during pre- takeoff checks), but about 10 minutes into the flight I turned back for home because my mind was not in it. Best decision I have ever made. I completed the solo a week later.

I will have the second com on 118.8. Maybe if you are taxing or doing run-ups etc, just tune into the old frequency and let people know. I am not far from YCAB, so I might even power up the handheld.

The new frequency will appear in the November ERSA. https://www.airservicesaustralia.com/aip/pending/ersa/FAC_YCAB_12-Nov-2015.pdf https://www.airservicesaustralia.com/aip/pending/ersa/FAC_YCDR_12-Nov-2015.pdf

Well it looks like we may be currently in similar positions. I did my first ever commercial flight in may this year without being scared. I was pretty pleased with myself, but its something not a lot of other people will understand! Its only take 40 years to get to this point! Its the little things that count though, today for example. Getting ready for the PPL flight test I wanted to practice some some stuff, so I got out the POH to check some procedures in flight when there was turbulance. I actually took my hands off the controls to do other stuff whilst the plane was getting bumped around! Fair enough, it was not very much turbulance, but its one little step in the right direction for me!

This is the best advice. Please follow.

Shafs, Its interesting reading this, because I am one of those pilots. I am still shit scared of flying, have an RPL, about to do the PPL flight test. However, when I go flying on those nice calm mornings when there is no turbulance I just love it and cant get enough of flying. So I have become a smooth air pilot. The danger of that is if I get caught in conditions that are not great, I could end up in trouble. I am now forcing myself up in conditions that test my personal limts, but dont exceed it. If the conditions exceed my personal limits, I try and and get an instructor to go for a flight with me. Step back 15 years, you would not get me in a plane period. In fact, if it were not that I was faced with loosing a job at the time, I would probably still not be flying. I had to be sedated to get me onto a commercial jet flight. What I have realised is, that it does not matter what anyone says here. It may 'gee you up' mentally, but does not help when you are actually up there. I have more than 150 hours up now, I should be getting over this, but I am not. However, I am starting to learn that if I tackle each individual issue about why I am scared, then I learn to deal with that issue. It does not take the fear away, it just enables me to deal with it, allows me to rationalise it in my head. For example, I was scared of doing steep turns in gusty conditions because I thought the gusts would roll the plane into an unrecoverable spin, so I went up with an instructor and did stalls in 60 degree turns. I now know what the plane does in steep turns when it stalls, and I had no issue doing the recovery, but alas I am still scared of steep turns in gusts. A few times now, I have been close to tossing it in, but something is driving me to continue. I like being challanged, perhaps thats what it is. All I can suggest, is that you need to isolate all those things that scare you, and address them individually. Its hard to do, trust me. I am realising that the fear of flying is not one thing, but many. For me, overall it was a fear of not being in control, and that one big thing adds up to many little things that you are not in control of, like turbulance! So mate, be honest with your instructor, nail down those fears and address them. It takes a while, but you will slowly start to nut them out. I mix it up with about half a dozen instructors, so they all pick up little things. Also, do youself a favour, pick those calm days and go out an do some solo stuff. It reminds you why you go flying, and why you battle through the fears.

I fly right on the boundary of Brisbane Class C all the time, just dont cross it! I also monitor BNE centre when I am skirting their airspace. Its actually worth monitoring centre anyway, because they will often broadcast advisory traffic messages, which is a nice thing to have. Also, when flying around amberly, I always was always taught to obtain a code and monitor amberly clearance just in case I wander too close! TO be honest, maybe I should apply this principle to Brisbane CTA as well.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/29713072/pilot-plucked-to-safety-from-wa-crash-site/ No idea what the aircraft was at this point.

That first flightchops video is like Caloundra (YCDR). I am interested in your observations. To many distracting gadgets - I have an iPad as a backup, dont use it for flying at this point because I am not allowed to, but rest assured it will be my primary tool for navigation once I have my PPL (just as it is my primary nav tool when sailing). Knee pad limited control - I use an A4 clipboard folder for nav and fuel logs at this point, will probably switch to a5 with experience. When flying on my RPL privileges I use an A5 kneeboard, it does not limit control, that is why we check controls before takeoff. Checklist - My instructors taught me to do it form memory - I fly once a week, not daily like them, so I use checklists. If I use the checklist, I don't forget anything. Too much chatter between pilots - I think that was covered off in the video, and what is most important is that the PIC made the correct decisions. I have learned a great deal from flight chops videos. He always makes a point of saying he is not an instructor, just a ppl, but he hands over so much useful information that most people are scared to admit too. He often posts up stuff that shows his errors, and I applaud that.

I am in a category not listed, New to Aviation but doing GA training. My intentions are purely recreational (doing a PPL) and I have no interested in going commercial. I personally see LSA and the like as the backbone of recreational aviation and I am fully behind RAAus. However, I am not young (not old either) and not stupid, and I see some serious flaws in RAAus that I find genuinely concerning, and this is coming from someone who is not exactly adverse to taking risks. FWIW, I am green, only have about 150 hours of experience, about half of that as PIC. I hold and RPL but have completed all my PPL training (just have to do the test). I am not sure about what sort of flying I intend to do as yet, but I suspect that 95% of my time will be solo stuff, so LSA ticks a lot of boxes at the moment.

I learn from my mistakes, but I also learn from other peoples mistakes. Its not about big brother intervening, its about understanding why we make mistakes.

Its tough when you have to be an adult and supposedly be responsible!! Life seems to always get in the way of flying! I am not sure if I have posted it here, but I am actually scared of flying. about 15 years ago I got on a commercial flight for the first time, but I had to be sedated. Not a PPL yet, but you would be doing well to wipe this grin off my face at the moment!

As I suggested earlier, I was due to do a solo nav the day after said accident. In my case, initially the CFI was dubious because of the forecast of severe turbulence. Forecast said turbulance was supposed to burn off by 1000hrs local, and I was supposed to be EOBT at 1200hrs local. I was delayed because the aircraft I was booked in had a faulty intercom and only had one functional com. Switched aircraft and left 1 hour later. I was lucky, flew with same CFI in moderate turbulence 2 navs prior and spent the whole time arguing with the plane just trying to maintain altitude. So I was wheels up 3 hours after forecast turbulence was supposed to be gone, but when I got airborne I knew it was more than I could handle only because of the prior flight with the CFI. In my case, a stubborn student would have persisted, and would have completed the nav. Me, I am pushing 40 years old and not chasing a CPL career, and I have no desire to be flying in conditions I dont care to be in. Different mentality. The forecast may say one thing, but when you are up there it may be a different situation altogether. I was beating myself up for not doing that nav, all the instructors are applauding my descision.

Just stating class G, because D and C you need explicit permission to enter the runway.

I thought this may be the case. I had to do a pre test for my RPL, and as you say they recommended me for the RPL flight test. If anything came out of that to calm my doubts, the flight examiner said my flying was at a very high standard. I thought I was substandard at the time. I forgot to retract flap when climbing out of the prec search and land and convinced myself that I had failed the test!

I just had a look at google, they clearly need a taxiway to 03. Its fairly substantial runway, surprising that it does not already exist. 1600m (have not checked ersa btw) is a long backtrack! I have one instructor that insists that you cannot be on an runway when a plane is taking off (class G) but my understanding is that you can be on the runway, you just cant takeoff until the separation minima is met. Maybe I need to review the CAR's, because I often enter a runway to backtrack as soon as the departing plane has passed the holding point (I stress this is all in class G).

Finally, after a false start last week due to turbulence, I managed to complete my second (and final) cross country solo!! I have officially completed my PPL training syllabus and can now move onto the testing phase!! Only problem is I go on call next Friday for 2 weeks, then I am out of town for 4 weeks :(. Hopefully the 6 week break is not too detrimental. RAC does a pre-test (not sure if this is a MOS thing or a RAC thing), so if there is any issues I will do some remedial work before the actual flight test. Left Redcliffe for a full stop at Archerfield (class D), all good but got told off by ground because I was not over the holding point when I requested taxi clearance (minor brain fart). Departed Archerfield west for Dalby via Gatton and Millmerran. Got cleared through Amberly (MIL class C) after a bit of a delay, managed to successfully reroute to Gatton after initially heading for the Lake Manchester VFR Route. Full stop at Dalby for a break (well needed by then, it was pretty rough ride, lots of thermals). Last leg was Dalby-Kilcoy-Redcliffe. I tried unsuccessfully to get cleared through Oakey airspace (MIL Class C, RA2) direct to Kilcoy, but no luck so stuck with Plan A. Avoiding Oakey was probably a better idea as I got some more DR practice rather than cheating with the GPS! Anyway, I think I might still be just short of the PPL standard in some areas, but I personally think I did OK today.

I was a simmer before I started flying, have yokes, rudder pedals, quadrants etc. It was detrimental to my learning because I kept looking at the instruments. In fact, it was so bad that I even obtained my RPL with these bad habbits. It was not until I started my PPL navs that I actually realised how bad it was. I know now. I packed up all my sim gear about 4 lessons in, and its still packed away (until I complete my PPL and start my IFR training!) If you want to learn cockpit layout, go sit in the actuall aircraft outside of you training sessions. They dont charge you to sit in the aircraft on the ground and its far more effective. I would have spend hours on the ground running through checklists, doing my FMOST checks for forced landings etc. Honestly, its the best way to do it.

Perhaps custsoms was a bad word by Ada Elle, but they can have local regulations which are typically stated in ERSA.

I was supposed to do a solo nav today. Same model aircraft. Clear skies, but wicked turbulence near the ranges, so decided to terminate the flight. Today was a good day. How could they let a student go off on a solo flight on a day like suggested?