SSCBD

Tell that to CASA - you had some interesting department guys testing ppl and com tests in GA - that you had to fly at 990 ft in the circuit as they did not like the FIN above 1000ft - true story. Or they prefer fuel management done this way instead of that way. Or one that flew right into Sydney control airspace!!! without clearance as he had the student under the hood had the radio turned down and he lost position awareness of the aircraft.

Lots of instructors in RAA have their own ways of doing things - including refuelling aircraft in hangars with students! I watched one day.

also with describing - aerodynamics get confused with how things really work and the student is given wrong information.

In my very lowly humble opinion some instructors should be removed as they are shocking. Not everyone is born to teach.

Also in my humble opinion any new bright and shinny new instructors that takes a student flying for the first say 100 hours, the student should be charged just aircraft hire rates, as these new shinny instructors are just learning for the first time themselves with students, and they the instructors have just got off their L plates and need some seasoning under a very close eye of a competent CFI, as the student is not getting the full value of EXPERIENCE for their hard earned money.

My personal opinion on students going solo

Solo is a subjective thing, it means they can fly aircraft under very controlled conditions for a circuit and hopefully get back in one piece. They usually do half a dozen circuits with an instructor, and they are in the groove.

As you all know I hope, it’s not something that means the student is safe in varied conditions that change. Solo means that got the monkey off the back, and now you can really start teaching.

Also what aircraft are you flying, you can launch a student in a drifter for example all things being equal faster, then you can in the hot metal beasties with all the switches and flaps, why because drifters etc are just easier to fly and things do happen a lot slower.

Now you have the student, and the students come in a wide range of varieties.

Some are apprehensive initially or did they just come from a top gun school after watching a movie.

I know of one student that had a fear of flying and can to learn to fly to overcome it, from memory it only took him an extra three or four hours extra than usual to go solo. Then you have what I call the uncoordinated types, there are always a handful.

Then you have consistency of training, do they fly once or twice a week today fly once or twice a month.

Weather, did you get a good run of weather or not although a good bit of crosswind or bumpy weather made them much better on the controls in circuit training.

Then you have instructors, you have good ones you have bad ones, just the fact.

My personal opinion is that I prefer a student to take slightly longer just because it’s given him more time wiggling the stick gaining muscle memory and just have a little bit of edge of experience if you could call it that.

In the decision to send a student solo from my point of view, was not that he had six perfect landings beforehand, but for example on finals if he was doing well I would kick in a bit of rudder or push the stick over on short final to watch him recover and unsettled aircraft and he or she still put had it down well.

Only God and you Frank. And I think you have more hours.

Best

Thanks for the feed back. I would like to think that like you in post #12, I look at the information offered, use my experience and offer a contribution to the conversation. My humble opinion. (and I do try hard not to be dismissive of other opinions without reason)

for example - 504 ft elevation - short hard grass - forgot flaps - Where are the FACTS.

I now see someone is guessing - the published takeoff length is wrong from the aircraft company. Really.

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

If you have the PPL license and or CASA has your number still in the system, you should have no problems flying again. If you have a unrestricted PPL license you should only need to show you are competent to the CFI and to standard to pass a BFR. If not do some hours. Others have done the same thing with no or lost logbook, but have the license.

Hi Howard, I flew at NAVAIR myself. How many hours did you do, and what did you get to.

You are grasping at straws.

Hi Frank - how's the two stroke twitch.

Sometimes we cross our fingers. And trust in four strokes.

And we do our sums to ensure we have enough runway for the fuel, load, altitude and temperature don't we.

the above has been quoted

Esqual t/o to 15 metres obstacle, 138 metres: required.

Now I fly like this, PRACTICILLY and operationally

1. I find out the max distance required for max weight for an aircraft, I am flying that day.

2. Have an idea in my head of what weight I am, full fuel or less

3. Takeoff wind direction (into wind to be specific for all those PC. )

4. Stick wet thumb out for temp

5. Look at the runway eg, is it more than 138 meters ? answer yes - then you are good to go. But I never had a 138 meter runway yet (unless sideways at mascot) Its always longer.

Now usually the sport aircraft always leaps or hops into the air anyway in ground effect. Say within the 138 meters quoted So I stick the nose down to build up airspeed anyway.

Then pull up (not hard) with excess airspeed anyway.

But I been doing this thing called flying for a few years and have not had a problem yet. Most of the other guys I fly with (yes they have a few hours too ) do the same for these RAA spot aircraft.

Has anyone got any idea on what the RAA are doing for the membership in regards for actual flying.

For example

How about RAA and small GA, light aircraft transit lanes through "ALL" our control airspace , without any clearance (not to land) at a set height. (500ft north ish or 1000ft south ish as example) Just broadcast intentions for other local traffic using the lane way. Or simple north bound lane and separate south bound lane. If you look at the maps I don't see from my point of view any real conflicts at 500ft but will stand corrected.

I was looking at this Mainly for the coastal areas and a few military zones.

You would not need to involve ATC and not impose any workload (costs) for this to operate.

Specific to cost, along the beach its not hard to maintain 500ft both ways for example north is over the beach and south is say 500 meters off the beach over the water. It gives just you enough to get to the beach at 500ft with engine failure (with most aircraft).

Any thoughts to simplify the Sport Avaition system WITH common sense.

These days my flying is done from my home strips and they are grassed and kept well mowed but I still keep the wheel spats on! I wouldn`t fly off bare terrain without them!Bare terrain is most likely to have stones mixed with it, so, any mud being thrown into the prop will cause some damage to it! Mud should be cleaned off and the Prop inspected carefully, before taking-off again.

 

I doubt the mud under the wing or the elevator, would make much difference to the flight characteristics but it would be smarter to clean it off before getting air-born again!

 

Frank.

Bloody waste again with what really could use funding.

If above is correct - at three meters above ground - engine failure - with wing down - it seems stalled - in ground effect - nothing you could really do. Pan cake in - stick back - not forward. You start to run out of elevator authority

Its one where guessing what happened above at the moment, till all the real fact come in.

My humble opinion.

Never let a chance go by! Frank.

Great to here its back ready to fly. Enjoy.

For my entire aviation career I've lived by the rules of 8-9 hours absolute minimum from your last alcoholic drink (which also directly ties in with being adequately rested), zero blood alcohol, and no hangover effect.For anyone who actually finds that difficult, flying planes is probably not for you.

To be clear on MY personal drinking and flying comment = I may fly out with some friends and we camp for the night. We have a few beers (4 to 6 cans) OR 3 or 4 glasses of red around the fire with bbq.

This is fun flying and what can be done with aussie sport aviation and seeing Australia, not just flying for an hour and go home.

a FEW people must get a grip on what is said here instead of always going to extremes.

It seems people are ASSUMING about flying to country pub - have a bender - and then fly out the next day.

The whole crux of the aforementioned lecture was "everyone has their addiction". Alcohol, coffee and tobacco are just 'legal', society has just for some reason decided that alcohol is ok and heroin is not, while alcohol causes more damage, but good luck finding a politician with enough balls to outlaw it.The fact that you enjoy your red or a beer enough to get cranky about the very idea of having it removed from you, speaks very loudly about what it does in your brain. You physically enjoy the mild impairment that it creates.I'm not suggesting don't drink, just understand how it works in your body.

That you, and I quote in your post "CRANKY" , why have you the right to do something or not and you re telling me I have no right to do something or not.? It is legal because you cant find a politicians with balls to ban or outlaw items you don't agree with. They will have those (balls) cut off if they tried to ban alcohol and coffee, etc. I also believe that anything can be abused by some. I also believe that people can use heroin for cancer or justified medical reasons.

Really- to be clear yes I drink coffee and have a scotch or class of red socially, never been booked with DUI or been ugly drunk. Also I know how alcohol affects me and my doctor has some dam fine reds I drink with him. I certainly would drink a lot more If I had to here you spout off for any time on your crusade.

But please do not take to the pulpit here and preach to me or other people as it is my life and I do as I please within reason.

I am Cranky with an aforementioned minority trying to control and tell what a person or a majority should do.

How did we ever fly and survive 20 or 30 years ago without these people's help and divine guidance.

I think, --- these (no fun with no humor) people who keep issuing all these rules and regs and in the future are just trying to stop the common sense fun in PVT aviation. Why do we fly - to have fun or Not!

RE RAA aircraft - If you training and experience is at a good level you have no problem flying these go carts of the sky - its a different matter when flying commercial sardine packed Boeings or Airbus etc. Come on guys get a grip on reality or you all become the sky police.

I have a deep distrust of people with puritan agendas,

How did we ever commit aviation before the RAA? How about human factors - You are not supposed to fly after a argument with the misses because of the stressful situation - Really

Also

What about drugs with flying these days. Drivers of cars are getting done at high numbers now. So I think I will stay with a beer and a good red.

Gone are the days when you drank around the camp fire and flew the net day. However I did know of a couple of flyins / airshows years ago when the GA side and Sport side were not looking in great shape, but the show went on.

Also was funny at Bankstown on Sundays (again years ago) hearing the inbound calls (they were pretty average or not sounding well ) from the pvt GA guys who had been at the wineries over the weekend.

I use for example xxx this is sting 4444 at (location now ) at 1,500 feet heading to --- or intentions

Oh I forgot , you will need to lodge a flight plan flying at any flight level.

What plane please, be specific. Temp drops (rule of thumb) 2 degrees C per thousand feet. You are not making sense to cool down in summer - Really sounds weird, and even if you wanted I am assuming its an single engine, It would be very slow to climb those last couple of thousand feet huge fuel burn. Also you have ice problems at times, and is it really worth it in a average single aircraft I assume.

What aircraft do you have, how much power do you have, as you will get a performance problem the higher you go. And the real question is why??.

I like the guy that had his wife do all the checks and confirmed wheels down. Then of course he went flying without her a crashed wheels up. No Joke.

Simple if you fly one type of aircraft all the time you should have your own mnemonic like this example for ga

The checklist

Many of the steps in the pre-landing checklist are double-checks to eliminate the possibility of unexpected failure of the aircraft. Other steps convert the aircraft from a configuration that is optimised for economical flight to one that is safe for landing. Since landing is the most dangerous stage of a flight, it is important to be pre-warned if an engine failure may be likely to occur or to deal with any problem at this point.

The checklist of actions is given below in its most complete possible form.

O-B-U-M-M-M-P-F-F-I-T-C-H-H

• O - Open carburettor heater
   
   
  
• B - Brakes free
   
   
  
• U - Undercarriage down and locked
   
   
  
• M - Mixtures
   
   
  
• M - Magnetos
   
   
  
• M - Master switch
   
   
  
• P - Propeller Pitch
   
   
  
• F - Fuel
   
   
  
• F - Flaps
   
   
  
• I - Instruments
   
   
  
• T - Temperatures and Pressures
   
   
  
• C - Close carburettor heat
   
   
  
• H - Hatches or doors
   
   
  
• H - Harnesses
   
   
  

AND others available to be used as required for you flying and aircraft type.

Cross Country Preflight Information: RAW FAT

Runway lengths

Alternate airports

Weather and Weight / Balances

Fuel requirements

ATC or Radio calls

Takeoff and landing distance data



Engine Runup and Ground Check: CIGARS

Controls Check

Instruments Set

Fuel amount and in total mins flying

Attitude (flaps, trim, etc.)

Runup

Seat, belts, doors Secured



Engine Failure: PL(ease) START

Pitch best glide

Landing site

Seat belts

Troubleshoot

Approach

Radios

Touchdown Configuration



Engine Restart: Gotta Mechanic Comin'; I'm Pissed

Fuel

Mixture or tank left or right

Carburetor Heat

Ignition

Primer / choke off

Spin Recovery: PEARS

Power Idle

Elevator Forward

Ailerons Neutral

Rudder Opposite

Smoothly Recover