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Ewen McPhee

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Everything posted by Ewen McPhee

  1. Ewen McPhee
    Welcome
  2. Ewen McPhee
    It leaves me wondering about how the Bikers managed to kill someone in the middle of Sydney Airport. From the pictures it appears that the event occurred on the check-in concourse which would have been less than 50 meters from the Security check-in point. While I am not intending to have a go at anyone, is there any information on how these People got away with murder (Literally) in the middle of one of our biggest airports?
  3. Ewen McPhee
    I dont think it is automatic. Have had an ARN for >12 months but no magazine.
  4. Ewen McPhee
    Airbus A380 - cockpit | p a n o r e p o r t a g e | g i l l e s v i d a l Wouldn't it be nice to have a full suite like this in the LSA?
  5. Ewen McPhee
    I assume Ice isn't much of a problem for RA aircraft but this video seems interesting. NASA Tailplane Icing
  6. Ewen McPhee
    Ah OK thanks. Our Cessna has one hardwired in so I assumed they were standard requirement. Still waiting on the local LAME to put a 406 version in it though. I bought the Spotme, seemed a good idea and seems to work. I have had a look around but most others seem to need either a GPRS connection for data logging or to be built into the vehicle. The cheapest was $390 for a built in device. Cheers :thumb_up:
  7. Ewen McPhee
    I have been thinking about this too. I have a Gorillapod Joby - Gorillapod Original that can be attached to just about anything.
  8. Ewen McPhee
    I think you have to have an EPIRB anyway - someone could clarify that for me. My interest was piqued when my son had a failure of his Nav equipment in a Rental and followed a wandering gyro well of course; a while ago now. He landed at an available airfield in a small country town and phoned us to ask us where he might be . While he has a lot more airtime now, at least I could tell him to push a button next time. There could be some utility for Training schools to track their solo nav students and their wet hires. I agree that it isn't cheap, but I have gained the impression that nothing in Aviation is anyway. I think of it as a half tank of fuel in the Cessna.
  9. Ewen McPhee
    I am posting out of interest and to ask if anyone has any experience of the Spotme SPOT International Landing Page I have just purchased one and we used if on my NAVEX this morning. It seems to have a lot going for it. I could send a message to my wife (or whomever) by Email and SMS telling her we were OK and leaving. The Spotme then broadcast my location every 20 minues while flying, and I could text her to let her know we were back (I know I am on a short leash ). The instructor and I could then log into the website and look at our track on Google Earth. It has an emergency button that notifies SAR as well, using globalstar satellites, but I assume it isn't using the frequencies used by the EPIRB. Seems the Bee's Knee's for $200 and USD150 a year.
  10. Ewen McPhee
    Tis true. Used my own name. Might keep me honest, if look a bit silly with Dumb Questions. Cheers.
  11. Ewen McPhee
    You can understand the Lay persons perspective though. The Bushby mustang is small, with a big engine on the front. Sad Day for the friends and family.
  12. Ewen McPhee
    I sometimes wonder about the power of radios we use, the positioning of the aerials and the fact that we are at a lower altitude; all of which will affect the line of site with other a/c. Had a problem with Sunstate chipping me recently. On the way back from a nav I did a 10 mile call, a Five Mile then a joining circuit call. Sunstate pilot was departing and complained that he didn't hear any of my calls. Mind you he was chatting away to an Ag pilot most of the time I was coming in so there was no space for more calls.
  13. Ewen McPhee
    QNH why bother Just a question. If you know the height of the airfield is 760 feet AMSL. Can you disregard the QNH and just twiddle the knob to that height? . Why bother with QNH at all?
  14. Ewen McPhee
    Excellent advice everyone - I'm glad to have raised it as an issue. Learnt a lot.
  15. Ewen McPhee
    Thanks for replies, I thought it might be not uncommon newbie thing. I will have to carry some pins to stick myself with as I come in. It is understandable how things can become unstuck when you arrive at a new airport after a long Nav. How do people prepare for an unfamiliar Airport? At least I found all the Navpoints, including Terang an unserviceable runway in the middle of nowhere (Looked just like it did on Google Earth when I planned the Nav the night before). I agree that 1.8 is long but looking at the map around Emerald there isn't much to track for thats close. What do people usually track for as navpoints - We have been aiming for towns, airstrips and large stations.
  16. Ewen McPhee
    I don't know if it is just me, but having done two dual navs now 1.8 each I am finding that my landings have gone off. I just seem to be too tired and in a bit of a daze? Both times we got back to base the wind had picked up to a decent cross wind. I find crosswinds very challenging at the best of times, and really had trouble keeping the airspeed up, nose in the right direction and am flaring too high. Has anyone else found tiredness and poor concentration at the end of a nav to be a problem? How do you get around that? I have done about 34 hours flying now, thought I should be better, very humbling.
  17. Ewen McPhee
    Will try it over the long weekend.
  18. Ewen McPhee
    I have been working ;) On call all over Christmas too Have a good one Guys :clown:
  19. Ewen McPhee
    I do see your point , thanks for pointing out the need to be above circuit height when crossing the field. We would have been at 1500 by the time we were back to the field.
  20. Ewen McPhee
    Can anyone shed some light on a mystery for me ? Firstly what planet do Ag pilots come from? And Does anyone know if they have radios and what frequency it is on? Was doing my first nav and had just departed the airport the other day. I was downwind at circuit height tracking back towards the Windsock to set my track. Luckily I noticed a big Aggie flying right up the middle of the runway at circuit height, on his way to somewhere. We tried to call him but not a squeak in reply. I wonder if he even saw us over his big fat turbine. Do CTAF® requirements not apply? While I am being a bit tongue in cheek I am interested in whether operating requirements for AG Planes are different from GA/Rec Requirements. As I do see them zipping around a fair bit (usually at 500 feet not 1000) and the pilots don't call their intentions much if at all.
  21. Ewen McPhee
    Over the Top Security. I recall a local story that happened recently, not sure if embellished in the telling, of a freelance sheet metal worker oing some work for the local LAME's. He wasn't wearing his ASIC while working on aircraft in the LAME's shed; which is "air side" of course. The Local Council authority entered the Hangar and asked him to produce it; a few choice words were said. Apparently the local council identity then called the police who entered the LAME's premises and removed him by force from the airport. No warrant was produced, apparently they then realized how far over the bounds they stepped and nothing has been said about the incident since. The Sheet Metal Worker never pressed charges. Two issues arise - first if you are working on aircraft surely it isn't safe to have something dangling in the way, second we all wear them stuck in a breast pocket for the same reason.
  22. Ewen McPhee
    Mine had an Icom, the offending Texan had a little Microair
  23. Ewen McPhee
    Yes a conversation was had and the senior RTP pilot made the call. We just landed and got out of the way for safety sake. The Q400 looked mighty big from the Left hand seat of the Texan as I was on final. We seem to have a lot of trouble with the radios in the texans though - not sure why.
  24. Ewen McPhee
    I was up doing some circuits this morning in a Texan. There was another student and instructor in the circuit. The other Texans radio was unintelligible. The Qantas Q400 made an inbound call at 40nm with circuit time at 9 minutes. The Pilot in Command asked us how many more circuits we were going to do, as their usual intention is a rNAV approach to Runway 24, which is downwind. One texan was on final and I was downwind for 06. My first thought was to tell Sunstate that I would depart the circuit to the west and stay away till he landed. We couldn't understand the other Texan's radio calls. As it was smoke haze made visibility very difficult. The Sunstate pilot amended his call to join the circuit for 06, so I landed and pulled off the active runways. The other Texan's radio was US by them and he landed as well. My question is what do people do when the Big Boys come to play. Do you bug out and go for a fly, stay in circuit in your slower ac or land and hide behind the boundary marker?
  25. Ewen McPhee
    And People Keep Dying because of "Pilot Error" due to "Human factors" What do you guys suggest is the answer?
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