Nightmare

I fly into Caboolture a lot, and to be honest, I think they are on par, traffic wise. Mind you, the lack of taxiways at Caloundra may make it seem busy, backtracking in the breaks between aircraft in the circuit pattern. A bit like Gympie. I like and prefer grass airstrips, they tend to be a little softer on the undercarriage. Also they are good practice for your short field take offs. Which model of Jab were you flying?

Caloundra is a busy airport. I flew into there on one of my XC flights a few months ago.

May I suggest that you make that move you want, sooner rather than later. I did a similar thing 10 hours into my flight training. I had a change of school, instructor, plane and aerodrome. I have to admit it set me back significantly.Apparently the move from RPC to RPL is not that difficult. Get the cross country endorsement through RAAus, get a medical and do a flight test in a bigger aircraft, and it is yours. The bonus here is that your cross country is done on RPC rates which generally more cost effective. Not sure of the pros and cons of going straight for PPL. How did you find the Jabiru's? I'm considering buying one, not sure which models yet, but I'm looking at maybe a J160, J170, J120 or even the LSA 55/3j

Hi BusaKaine and welcome. Where are you learning? Is it GoFly at Caboolture? I know they have Slings. Are you going for your RPC, then RPL then PPL or straight for your PPL? Cheers, Tony.

Hi Mark, welcome to the forum. Tony

Hi and welcome Luke. The rules and regs are different here in Australia, but I would be looking at Light Sports Aircraft (LSA) and who governs it in the USA. Here in Oz, if you are going for a Recreational Pilot Certificate (RPC) through Recreational Aviation Australia (RA Aus), you can start flight training at any age, but you need to be 15 to fly solo. If I was you, I'd find a small aerodrome near you, with a flight school, and make contact with them. They will tell you what you need and maybe offer you a Trial Introductory Flight (TIF), at a reasonable price, to see if aviation is for you. Maybe stay clear of international airports, way too busy for learner pilots. I remember having the desire to be a pilot at your age. I finally realized that dream and made it happen 36 years later. I wish I had made it happen much earlier, but better late than never. All the best Luke, keep your dream alive Tony

My contribution: ALWAYS FOLLOW THE CHECKLISTS!!!!!!

Have a look on ERSA to see if the airports you are planing on landing at are security controlled. You can access an online version of ERSA through the AIP at Aeronautical Information Package (AIP) | Airservices.

Hi JA, I can only speak about RAA, I'm thinking a Jabiru J160, J170 or J230 could suit your needs, they cruise at 100kts, and have 135L fuel tanks (6 hrs endurance) Tecnam Eaglets cruise at 100kts with 90L tanks, A few Slings and Sportstars around for hire which would be suitable. A few other options around as well. RAA are restricted to 600kg MTOW. Maybe you should consider emailing or calling RAAus or a flying school near your departure point and discussing your situation so you can ascertain what you need to do to fly in Australia. See the RAAus website for recommended flying schools and browse their websites After you sort your licensing out for Australian flying, you may need to be type certified on the aircraft you want to hire, so be prepared to spend a few hours with a CFI to do this. RAA pilots can not fly into controlled airspace or into controlled airports at this time. If you hold a higher license with a Controlled Airspace endorsement, you can. But there is a lot of G Class airspace, which RAA aircraft can fly in, even around and over the populated cities and towns. The latest charts become effective 10th November 2016, and are good for 6 months. That includes VTC's, VNC's ENC-L's which all includes airspace boundaries. I'm not familiar with a VTA. WAC's (currently 19th edition) don't actually seem have an expiry, but do not include airspace or FIR boundaries. See the Airservices site for the latest aeronautical charts for Australia. I'm still using paper charts, but am seriously considering getting Oz Runways on an Ipad Mini. Oz Runways subscription is $99 per year, vs $11 per chart per 6 months. I will be having maps as a backup, just in case the Ipad battery fails. Another backup option could be having Oz Runway on my phone as well, but will have to investigate whether this is legal or not. The phone screen size may be an issue. I hope that helps you. Cheers, Tony.

I would suggest you contact CASA about that, or your flying school. But I seem to recall reading somewhere the list of what you need to do to upgrade to RPL from RPC. All you needed was the RPC XC plus a few more hours XC, plus other stuff such as medical and a flight review in the bigger aircraft. To me that may mean that the training may be one and the same.

My wishlist: 100kt cruise speed, good endurance, that is, at least 4 hours, so probably 80Lt fuel tanks or more, 2 seats, 4 stroke engine, Transponder and radio. Tricycle undercarriage. Prefer factory built. As I said, not a lot out there at the moment, I'm in no rush.

I am currently currently looking around to buy soon.... not much on the market at the moment.... no rush

So what are you flying Chevy? Where are you at with your flight training? By the way, I have flown into Gympie a couple of times now. Nice airfield, but it is in serious need of a taxiway to RWY 14 in my opinion. On my last trip there, I found it a bit of a challenge backtracking onto the runway, with all the traffic in the circuit at the time. It can be a busy little place, as I found out. Cheers, Tony

Hi Chevy and welcome to the forum!

If I've just vacated runway 12, then my call would be "[Location] traffic, [Callsign] clear of runway12 [Location]" "Runway vacated" is just too vague... Which runway is vacated? You want to communicate to other pilots where you are and what your intentions are.

I have made it a habit of mine to announce that I'm clear of runway xxx .... It doesn't tie up the radio long.

This discussion, to me, also highlights the importance of remembering to hold that transmit button in for that little bit longer before saying your message. That way you can comply with the regs and operate safely. Besides, that pause helps you to deliver that message with confidence forcing you to not rush it.

I found myself overhead an unfamiliar airfield once, circling around, for what seemed like an eternity, feeling like a brain dead goose, whilst orientating myself to the situation, determining wind, runway number, and finally the correct radio calls. I certainly didn't rush it, I stayed in a safe place, overhead the circuit, until I sort it out and get it done properly. It was a good example of not being ahead of the plane..... I tend to have this mostly worked out now well before I even get into the plane, with a nice visual sketch of the runway on a piece of paper that I draw before the flight from ERSA to get into my head around what I need to know about the layout of the field.

Yes that makes sense, but the format taught now is "Bullamakanka Traffic" with "Bullamankanka" the last word at the end of the message, just in case, as you said, you miss the first part.... That is how I was taught throughout my entire flight training and supported by all the study material, which was within the last year and a half .... I hear the traffic first format a lot. I don't think it matters much, as long as the message is out there and being understood by everyone.

Hi Richard, and welcome. I flew into YTWB a couple of months ago when I was doing my Cross Country endorsement. Yes, are going for your RPL or RPC? Just do it one lesson at a time, and before you know, you'll be Australia's latest licensed pilot. It does get more awesome as you progress. By the way, there is a lot of G class airspace over and around Brisbane if you want to take a little look around. What aircraft are you flying? Cheers, Tony

Hi Dean, and welcome. Yes, I rather like the Tecnam P92 myself, my first 10 hours were in one. As someone who has recently completed his XC endorsement, yes, I have to agree, navs are challenging, but awesome and enjoyable... highly recommended after you earn your Pilot Certificate. I actually have Murwillumbah in my sights for a place to visit. Is there a place to eat at near the airfield? I'm looking at $100 hamburger ideas.... Cheers, Tony

She hasn't been sneaking a ride in a tax payer funded chopper again has she?

I heard it said once that pressing the transmit button sometimes has the secondary effect of disengaging the brain from the mouth

As SDQDI said, you are just talking to other pilots for the purpose of maintaining separation. Try to relax and just say calmly what you need to say.... Yes, practice what you need to say, like the mandatory calls, but when a pilot or ATC talks back to you, just talk to them as if you're in the same room ... without tying up the radio for an unnecessary amount of time that is. As you know, the format for your broadcasts are: [Location] traffic [Your callsign] [Location] [Altitude] [intentions/message] [Location] Be slow but precise, with time and practice it will get easier and faster, but not too fast, people need to understand your message. What helped me in the early days was, I would do simulation flights in my head, and I would verbalize all the radio calls I would make in order, from the startup radio check call, to the runway exit call and every call in between. I made so many mistakes, and froze as I had the occasional brain freeze, but better to make them there, than in the air.

I found the 4 day weather maps forecast on BOM very helpful. I found the meteorological section in the XC training fascinating.