Pearo

My victor motor mower is 20 years old and has done about 20 hours. Its had 5 plug changes, and never had an oil change. I have replaced the pull start cord 3 times and the throttle cable just failed, so I replaced it with a makita battery powered thing.

Therefore Victor is better than Jab and Rotax. Lets see how the Makita shapes up.

I would have to (sadly) largely agree with this. But it is not a fundamental constraint on IT. "New" does not have to mean "unreliable". Obviously they have QoS guarantees built into their system and new systems can offer this too! It sounds like there is a pretty vast potential to do more in realtime with the data that they have as well has having much better coordination between sets of data and delivery locations.Perhaps this is what OneSky is addressing. OneSky wasn't talked about during the evening. Given that the timescale for delivering OneSky is of the order of 10 years, one has to wonder. It is possible to have your cake and eat it it too; i.e. QoS and agile systems. But the processes (and contracts) need to be very carefully considered (as was not the situation with the ABS census).

The system I currently work on is still the largest and most capable in my field, but due to incompetent management, excess process and lack of investment it has fallen behind. Its all worked out well for me though, because my company (that I part own) is starting to turn that around. Without seeing the code behind the current ATC systems its only speculation, but I dare say that with continued investment with quality staff the current system may well be as advanced as it was back when it was first developed.

I'm sceptical as to whether a rail link to an airport has much relevance anymore. People come from everywhere to get to Tullamarine. How's a fixed railway link on the surface from a designated departure place with a few pickups with the super high land acquisition costs and associated chaos about displacing houses and trees etc, a solution? It's now a political game so what hope of a reasonable solution? Turnbull is playing games with the dough he's withholding. Victoria can run it's own affairs and priorities. It's a state matter Malcom.

I'm in an amazing job where I literally get to see where technology is going and where those advantages lie. But I think I will now never buy the line that aviation is a technological wonder. This is certainly true if you are about two decades behind in your expectations. There is literally a huge potential for efficiency and capacity (and safety) gains. But for some reason, progress is glacial.

The problem here in Australia, is that corporate IT in every organisation is all but useless, so you can rest assured that when they do finally find or develop a new system it will also be 20 years old also. For now, they are better off with something that works somewhat reliably than having the bulk of useless IT management install something that falls over when some sneezes.

Good luck guys,I also hope all the guys with boats-sailing have gone to sea for safety- nothing more dangerous than a boat at anchor in a cyclone. Best to head out to deep water and ride it out- far safer than in port.

Good luck guys and keep your head down.

Mmmmmmm- If you had actually read my posts and those I later did, then you sure have a strange interpretation. I said the best option when given a long notice of several days, in this case it was quite a big amount of notice. Was get the hell out of dodge can be the best bet on a quality sailboat.I never said go splash about heading into a CAT 4 or any other such nonsense.

We just got flogged here on Brisbane Northside. I was looking at the radar and it still looked like a cyclone to me. Brisbane ATIS showed 50 knot gusts, I would suggest that 50knots was more sustained than not. I have copped damage to my house and wont really get an understanding of the full extent till tomorrow.. Technically what we copped was the same as a Cat 1 cyclone.

Someone posted hear about going to sea in a Cat 4 being a better option than staying in a local anchorage. Seriously the dumbest thing I have ever heard.

I also hope all the guys with boats-sailing have gone to sea for safety- nothing more dangerous than a boat at anchor in a cyclone. Best to head out to deep water and ride it out- far safer than in port.

I have been at sea in a force 10, no way I would be out there in a cyclone, thats crazy talk.

I know a bloke who set of 406 EPIRB in central Australia after they got stuck on motorcycles during unseasonal rain. They got rescued, only just, the cops that picked them up nearly ended up setting of their epirb also! Pretty sure they had GME epirb, but its all recorded on video!!! I have a DVD here, I will see if they have a youtube vid of the incident.

A rule of thumb for GA is if you are flying 70 hours or more per year, you should be buying, not renting. We do 60-70 hours most years.

Someone outside. It's funny how the brain works. During the flight I couldn't help but fixate on what might be an "automatic" fail, but on reflection, the things that I thought went wrong were quite minor and/or dealt with.

Don't get me wrong. I'd love to do 100hrs/year, I just don't see how it's financially possible. As you say, ~$270/hour for a plane means your up for ~$27,000p.a. in flying costs (+ taxes, landing fees, maps/charts, medicals, etc.) That's somewhere between 1/3 to 1/2 of our household income and just not possible.

Well done aplund. It sound like your PPL test was a little more full on than mine! Was your testing officer someone from the school or someone outside? I got myself lost on a diversion as well (was low level due weather, to watts bridge), but thankfully found myself in time!!

Re cost of 172s, I think the cheapest around is Darling Downs aeroclub. Redcliffe is also under $300 (maybe 270 odd).

Doing 10-15 hours a year is just enough to maintain your skills IMO. I am doing about that at the moment due to work and other commitments. Between RPL and PPL I was doing a lot of local flying and not working, so I was doing around 100hrs a year, it sucks to have dropped that down but I need to fund the habit somehow! Every time I go up now I try to practice a couple of things if I dont have pax, and sometime I will go for a quick buzz to the training area then head back and do half a dozen circuits including shortfields, glides, flapless etc. The one thing I have not done in a while is a decent nav ex. Thinking I might a run out west soon, maybe Longreach or Birdsville just to test myself! Will have GPS and OzRunways but plan to do it using DR. The red country is the ultimate test of DR skills!

Could you legally use your ASIC to gain entry to a cheap coffee place at a major airport. One of the conditions of the card is that you only use it where it is necessary for your flying activity. I don't think gaining access at a major airport would stand up to scrutiny.Does CASA have anything to do with the requirement for an ASIC? I thought it was dreamed up by a different govt. department.

There is security controlled airports, where you land and the only way back in is by calling someone and giving your ASIC details, rego number and name. Longreach is one of those places. I dont get it.

There is a lot I disagree with when it comes to the RA community, but ASIC is not one of those. Its a joke.

BTW, those saying you get a 10% discount at duty free, you are still paying a premium. Airport duty free in Aus is dearer than at lot of local reatailers even with a 10% discount.

Trust me, compared to the clearance I am getting now the upgraded ASIC process looks like a walk in the park

I like the story of the SR71 flying over california, at 70,000ft, and on the local frequency cessnas and pipers are asking ATC for speed checks (105 knots, 115 knots, etc), and some navy guy in a F16 asks, and is told, 582 knots, so on the open frequency the SR71 guy can't resist asking, and is told, 1565 knots.

My fave aircraft ever. This aircraft helped drive my irrational interest in aviation!! I have sat in the cockpit of one, and have seen a couple in the flesh!

WTF?If you have to get out again in a full flap cessna you must get that trim rolled forwards four palm fulls as it acellerates again.

Dribble the flap off as it gets going and fly normally.

 

Chas

I got spoiled, I learned at an airport in a 172 that has a regular 10-15knot crosswind. Post christmas, the crosswind blows through the hangers, so when you think you are about to touch down you get a gust that makes you go flying again....

Beside the point. I was taught to do a T&G with full flap(30 degrees in the 172 I was flying) because a solo student had a flap retract failure. It works, but climb performance is atrocious and its going to be a 500ft circuit at best.

Unless you've been there you don't really know. These aircraft can turn sharply with the nosewheel nearly at right angles and you don't see much through an angled window. My sympathies to the crew involved. No one likes to damage a plane. Nev

Mr Lawrence was puzzled how the accident could happen when there were so few planes operating at the airport."It sort of beggars belief that at an airport such as Hobart, with a relatively low rate of traffic, that two planes could manage to drive into each other," he said.

Cant say I have ever sat in the cockpit of a 737 (have been in various other RPT jet full motion sims though) but I am guessing that the view is probably not the greatest when looking toward the rear of the aircraft.

How about someone who knows the pilot call him up and ask what went wrong and get it from the horses mouth.

I heard around the place that it was landing gear failure combined with blocked with static vent

CASA says that when flying above 5000ft you must have a radio and must be monitoring the area frequency. Below 5000ft it becomes a bit murkier, in more ways than one.

I am lucky enough to have 2 comms, so I can have the best of both worlds.

I was listening to the ATC recording, and it appears archer tower noticed the failed gear. They had a second aircraft report on it.

Awesome effort on behalf of the pilot.

Not sure why the gear fell off though...

I do this moreton trip a lot, and always use 126.7 which is the correct frequency to be broadcasting on and monitoring. When flying to Moreton from Bribie, I change from 125.85 to 126.7 once over water and then make a position broadcast. I reckon this is important, because most people do the overwater leg at 3500 so you are in gliding distance of land. I also make a position broadcast when returning, and another on 125.85 when nearing Bribie.

Also, the Tangaloma resort chopper is usually quite active, but always broadcasts position info on 126.7 also,

I am spoiled and have 2 comms, so Brisbane Centre is always tuned in on the second com.

I would like a second radio to monitor Redcliffe but don't have one.

#whats with all the #hash tags on #everything?