Nightmare

I love crosswind landings!

Here is a short video of my last flight on Tuesday

I did another local flight today around the Brisbane Valley. What glorious conditions, a little fog, but it posed no problems when I went up. I worked out that I made my 200th Landing today. I'm itching to start my XC endo, the 25nm radius is getting a little well traveled now.

Hey 2tonne, what do you like flying better, the J160 or the Tecnam?

So what are you/we losing, Neil? Tony

Hehehe, I'm a new pilot and don't know anyone I can proxy through.... ah well, I guess I won't be voting, I might go flying instead....

Well done Doc! Got some news for you, it still only gets better! Area solo, certificate, private hire, your own plane .... the list goes on.... but the good stuff starts at solo!

That's not an aviation issue, it is a budgeting issue. Running a plane costs money, so it would be unreasonable for a flying school not to charge its students appropriately. I'm sure you can work it out, there are thousands of pilots in Australia who have....

My friend, are you on the right forum site? This is a recreational flying forum, we are not in it for the money, but for the love of flying....

Just remember, the R in RPC stands for Recreational, so it is not intended for you to make money from, it is in the Ops Manual as a condition of the certificate. As you mentioned though, you can go on to make money as an instructor. It can be a stepping stone to higher licences. It is not much of a step from RPC to RPL, then you need a PPL then CPL. I know you can make money at CPL. Then ATPL if you want to fly the heavy metal. I'm not sure if you can do jobs like RFDS or aviation jobs in the surveying fields on PPL, you'd have to check it out. I went RPC as I wanted to do it as a hobby, and it is the most cost effective way for me to get into the air. I have no desire to make it into a career, my thought is that if I made it my job, I would loose the passion for something I like doing. BTW, what does FIR stand for?

Have a look at that flight syllabus document that I linked for you, and the Ops Manual on the RAA site for the requirements for flight instructor and CFI. I believe the hours required to commence instructor training is more like 100 hours or more. I'd be more concerned with learning to fly first, they should be goals well down the track.

sorry, I edited my last post as you were reading it

Look at the RAA website https://www.raa.asn.au/ The Operations Manual for Pilots is a useful document covering air law and flight training requirements. The RAA Syllabus: https://members.raa.asn.au/storage/syllabus-of-flight-training-issue-7-v2-single-pages.pdf I'm not sure if you can access the Syllabus pdf, as you may have to be a member. But the one you posted looked more in depth, a higher level of licence, RPL and higher. Just remember: RPC is covered by RAAus. The 3 axis certificate entitles you to fly an aircraft that has a MTOW of 600kg or less(650kg if it is a float plane), with 2 seats or less in VFR and not in controlled airspace. RPL and higher these restrictions are lifted depending on your training achieved

Good luck with it all Patrick. Keep us up to date with your progress. I might be thinking of another school, but I seem to recall some saying on this forum here somewhere that Dave's Flying School may have closed down around xmas time. I may be getting it confused with someone else, after all, I'm not a Sydney local, I'm in sunny Queensland dodging around Amberley airspace. Hope I'm wrong.

In my opinion, that is not a great idea, as you may have to unlearn a lot of bad habits that you could develop learning like that, better just turning up to your Flight School like a clean slate keen to learn.Maybe invest in a couple of books if you want to learn a bit prior to starting training. I would suggest "Flying Training Manual" and "Basic Aeronautical Knowledge including Human Factors" by David Robson. These two books also come included in a Student Pilot Kit, also included in this kit are, a book, "Flight Radio for Pilots" and a logbook. I got this kit from my school at the beginning of my training. It contains all the info you need to get through your flight training for a RAA RPC. They are actually designed for people going for their PPL, so you are getting a very good standard of instruction from these books. Others could suggest other material, but I found this kit totally sufficient and easy to read. In the "Flying Training Manual", the author even sets out the chapters in the order that you will be doing your lessons in so you can study that chapter prior to the actual lesson. You can purchase this kit at most pilot shops in Australia, and online. I found one online shop that sells them: http://www.flightstore.com.au/books-theory-aviation-theory-centre-c-104_106/student-pilot-kit-p-87.html

You have to start with the basics. To become an effective pilot you need to understand how your aircraft works and the environment in which you fly and the forces involved. It took me 10 months of flight training before my CFI said to me, "Congratulations captain, you are now a pilot" It is a long but rewarding road to travel. I had a heap of fun getting there, and I continue to have fun every time I climb into the cockpit. I'd encourage you to take that second step, and book your next lesson. Yes, it may seem to you very basic, but it is essential stuff that you have to know as a pilot, and believe me it is not in anyway boring. A TIF is the start of your flight training, you can use that flight as your first entry in your log book. A flight simulator is really nothing like the real thing, you just don't feel the forces on the controls that you you do in the real thing. I found it to be helpful in my early stage of training, I'd review what I was taught the previous lesson. But now, I don't use the sims at all, the real thing is just too awesome.

Since I earned my RPC pax endorsement, my friends and family have been queuing up to fly with me, and none have felt the least bit scared or unsafe doing so. I think it is a reflection of the quality of training we receive and the competence and quality of the instructors who deliver it.

Overshooting? Carry on with your flight training and you will learn how to land a plane. Your instructor will teach you how to set up a good approach, judge the round-out, and fly it down to the touchdown. As I said, research and plan your trip, including what you are going to do at the destination and how you are going to achieve it, this includes local transport options and accommodation if applicable. The internet is a wonderful thing. I'm about to embark on getting my xc endorsement to be able to do this very soon, I'm studying the material now.... I'm looking at some interesting trips like Great Keppel Island, Fraser Island, Hervey Bay, among other destinations. So you were rejected for the RAAF? Don't let that bother you, they reject a lot of people. Join us others who wanted to fly and just pay for it, you can do it a lesson at a time, you will not regret it. Learning aviation is awesome from start to finish. Careful though, once the aviation bug bites, it doesn't let you go

If you are fit enough to hold a current drivers licence, then you are fit to fly under RAAus Recreational Pilot Certificate. However, there are some medical conditions stated in the RAA OPS Manual where you would have to supply a statement from your doctor that you are fit to drive a motor vehicle. Look at https://www.raa.asn.au/storage/annual-medical-declaration-inc-declaration-for-doctor.pdf Costs of training varies of course, but I guess you can expect between $200 to $250 per hour. That is in a RAA aircraft not GA

RAA restrictive? Not in my opinion, there is a lot of uncontrolled airspace out there, and we are allowed to fly in it. When you learn to read aviation charts, you will be pleasantly surprised just where you can fly. Overshooting runways???? Do the training and you will not do that! BTW, no flight sim that I've seen comes even close to real flying. Wouldn't you be better off getting your certificate or be close to getting your certificate before buying a plane? Like with any trip, be it road, flying or otherwise, it will only be as good as your research and planning. Dreamist Pilot, I'm assuming that you don't have your RPC or RPL or similar licence and are considering getting one, so if so why don't you start living the dream? Maybe contact your local RAA flying school, maybe in Hervey Bay or Maryborough, and start with a TIF (Trial Introductory Flight) which counts as hours in your log book. The hardest step towards your pilot certificate is your first one.

Welcome Nicko, I started my training in an Eaglet myself, nice aircraft. Good luck with your training, if you think that you are loving it now, trust me, it only gets even better! Tony

Great Video, I'm surprised your instructor didn't get you to shut down before he got out.... never underestimate the danger of a spinning prop. And I echo what Bolerpilot said, Welcome to the fantastic fraternity of pilots

I flew my first solo last November. My instructor/CFI instructed me to shut down after doing a few touch and goes, he got out and casually told me that I'm good to go solo, and told me to just do as I was trained to do. I remember thinking, as I lined up on Runway 30 at YBCM, Oh sh!t, it's just me in the plane, no one to help me out! It was with no hesitation, I pushed the throttle in to commence the ground roll, and I was off. I did my best circuit to date, came in for a full stop, and went up again. This time I did a go around, my approach wasn't quite stable, but came in for another good landing. I've always been excited about flying, but that was a whole new level for me!

Personally, I wouldn't use suction mounts, they too easily become loose and become missiles in the cockpit, and why risk damaging your camera. The bolt down ones are better, make sure they do not impede the view or interfere with any of the aircraft controls... I generally let my passenger be in charge of the camera operation whilst I get on with the job of flying the plane. If I'm alone, I set it up, start it up, and get on with the job of flying and forget about it until after shutdown. I know this is about legislation, but that's my common sense two cents worth put in.

I highly recommend these sites, they helped me tremendously to pass mine.