skydog

Thanks Thanks guys, I am surprised though coz thought I had other better shots than that plus your stuff too? Obviously I can not win again next month but will keep on entering and I am very impressed by the standard of photos. Ian / Slarti how about a Rec Flying calendar?

agree I agree MATT, Thats a brilliant photo. Should win thsi months comp. Looks like you are doing an inverted loop! Is that possible in the CT?

YEAH THATS IT. On the DVD video available from that Cowra meet it sure sounds mighty good. Cant quite afford the jet A1 though.

Ozzie You may be able to do it by rebuilding the plane under SAAA experimental and adding the turbines There is an experimental jet built & flying . Uses 200 litres an hour and flys at about 200kts. See SAAA website, Cowra 2008 fly in images. Cheers.

Rotax v jab engines Have a look at this month RA magazine. The incident reports show both Rotax & Jab engines failing. It would interesting if there was a study on certified standard aircraft engine failures such as Lycoming, continental etc vs new other such as Jab, Rotax others. By ratio of course. Maybe the CASA site / mag has some data. My few years tells me standard engines would be in front per capita and they are old technology compared to modern car engines! Look how long it took for fuel injection to become accepted in air engines. Not withstanding any facts, new engines & ideas must and should be undertaken. Shame that diesel aero engine lost support, theilert was it? Looked like a good economical engine. Good on Jab for their entreprenurial efforts and investment of lots of money. We will look back in 10 years time and be even more proud of them.

There are two other RV`s being built there at GWA and another [RV7 I think it is] flying.

Real flyers Actual real flyers, dont have an airplane at all!!! They have an arresting device strapped to their backs to land safely but otherwise their aerobatics, flying etc is done in freefall using just their bodies.

Bass There are a few RV`s down at Goolwa that I know of. Might be worth a trip down there to check them out but I am sure Parafield has some too

balloon tyres Admittedly late in viewing the video of cubs etc with balloon tyres landing on river flats and short landing to a stop within metres I was neverthe less so impressed with the plane and the pilots. Thinks, Must get or download that video sometime?

Hi Basscheffers, After flying those and other aircraft for many hours I settled on the Vans RV6A. I finally came to the understanding that what I wanted from flying was to visit many wonderful places in Australia and partake in fly ins and airshows so I needed a plane that was reasonably quick and comfortable

Welcome. My advice is to go buy the recreational australia magazine from the newsagent as their is a lot of info there including planes for sale etc but there is a ultralight version of cub out which I think may suit your needs. Flying fast and rough fields usually dont mix with aircraft so you will probably be stuck at around the 100 knots plus mark. Ultralights are light and not as robust as a C182 ETC. Fact is a new U/L will be far cheaper to maintain and run than an old Cessna.

Take your time Diana, glad to see you have caught the aviation flu so bad. I read you are asking lots of questions about buying planes, checking them out etc etc etc . My advice is to wait ( if you possibly can ) until you get some time and experience up your sleeve say about another year. Reason being as you see more types of aircraft and learn more about aviation your perceptions will change about just what plane you might prefer based on if you want to fly distance faster or just potter around locally. Also comfort, visibility, high wing vs low, etc etc . You may want to try out different aircraft first, get checked out in them for more experience and see what you like. Nothing worse than buying a plane quickly only to find a much more desirable one later. Took me 3 years to settle on what I wanted to do with flying and what aircraft would suit. Cheers.

the abundant ocean of knowledge does it again I am always impressed by this website and this thread is one of the reasons why. The great ocean of knowledge out there has I think fully provided just about every aspect of high vs low wing benefits, negatives and more. ("thinks... I must ask some questions myself")

Bloody good shots Some bloody good shots fellas, I reckon the magazine is going to enjoy these to put on show.

Jab My two bobs worth is having flown over 50 hours in Jabs as pilot both early and late models, also J160s and 230`s I have not had a hint of an engine failure but am all too aware of the failures out there and that is a bit of a bogey sitting on the shoulder of any pilot learning or buying. The value for money can not be argued with and they are evolving. The very early cessnas (I have learnt recently) such as 140`s ETC were dogs to fly and land with design imperfections in empanagge etc so perhaps we need to give the JAB peole more time to perfect it. The 120 from all accounts is the best design yet from all accounts but I have not flown it ...yet! Flap controls and throttles that require you to be a contortionist have never made sense to me and getting rid of them has been a sign of hope, they say coformity is the greatest freeedom and perhaps the changes are widening the appeal especially the J230, it is an excellent plane and much easier to land and handle than the smaller, lighter early aircraft that are prone to drifting crosswind on final and landings if you were not on the ball. That why they make you a better pilot than learning in other RA and GA planes. The finish and accessories and instruments have always been on the cheap and unreliable side breaking down regularly in my experience ,,never ending flat tyres, poor radios etc doesnt help their cause. They are a good looking plane though dont you think? Personally I like something a bit heavier, faster and bigger and with a regular proven aircraft engine but there will always be a market for cheap items. Put a 120 horse lycoming or continental in the J230 and you will have a pretty good plane. Add some decent foot brakes and well,...... lookout!

excellent photo Ronny. We do not see this ski plane in Australia.

I do view VAF and also the threads on VANS site. Just ordered a new fuel injected 320 lycoming with roller tappets etc, should be good. My panel is a simple 6 pack of steam gauges plus cht .I use a portable GPS as back up. Have a GOOGLE EARTH look at my local strips Point cook airfield in victoria I also use BACCHUS MARSH AIRFIELD, also in Victoria Australia. Whilst your at it, one of my favourite strips is PETERBOROUGH AIRFIELD IN VICTORIA , A DRAG DOWN THE COASTLINE This area is known as the 12 apostles , very beautiful.

John/ Major, The microairs I used were in JABIRU`s I was flying and renting from Oasis who used to be at Pt Cook but now over at Moorabbin. The Jabs belonged to private people who hired them out to the flying school. Twice when I suspected they were not working well (not showing a signal)and asked Melbourne radar for a reading they could not see me and I was only 20 kms distant! The other main issue was operating them as the buttons are so tiny making changes to the frequency, say if asked to squawk another code, can be literally hit and miss even in light turbulance. Also small dig screen is hard to read especially if you wear glasses etc. Yeah I know they are meant to be small and light etc to suit Rec aircraft but maybe too small?.

Elliston Elliston looks just sensational fellas. Got to go there sometime, probably via Kangaroo island Have a look at Peterborough strip if you get the chance , similar distance to town etc and not far from the twelve apostles. Strip is white metal due est of town about one and a half k

Kingston I flew to Kingston SA, 100 minutes in a RV6A from Pt Cook (thats 20k`s out of Melbourne) Great little place, great bitumen strip and grass cross strip, walk to town no problems but Dennis Borchardt who imports the fabulous Lightning will likely drop you off anyway if you ask nicely. Food is great, yes and the Coopers on tap was hard to beat too. Pub was only 35 bucks a night. Lovely old historic stone buildings etc. Fuel was 2.00 per litre then but has come down since Dec 2008 I think. I liked Goolwa too but a bit further out from town. Must look up Elliston on the GE

Tomo, Its a bit hard when you live just 6 kms from the centre of Melbourne to get to a reasonably priced hanger and sealed strip within 30 minutes. For us 30 minutes is Moorabbin airport and at 200 bucks a week rent its outa my league plus its way too commercial..

Looks like a good old dirt strip off state line rd there. Hope the trees are not too high either end, cant tell on the google earth view. I own a RV6A, the yellow & blue one in my avatar picture to the left of this message. Hurry up and finish yours coz they are a great performing aircraft. If you like rec aircraft then really the RV is as cheap to run at 100 kts.

Yes My plane is the yellow and blue one to the left of this message.RV6A. Has a nice cabin heat. Got to wear a hat though in summer. I have flown in a tandem trike it was fun but too cold for me I would catch cold and miss out on flying too many weeks.

The Cirrus will cost a lot more than a 172 to hire for sure like about 50% more plus it flies so fast the plane will "get ahead of your current skills" especially in a cross country nav.PA28 cruise 105kts, Cirrus 160kts. Rec flying just means its cheaper to get the basic hours up eg if it takes 40 hrs to get a PPL then 35 of those hours can be done in a Rec plane at about 40% less cost than a GA. The last few hours 5 actually you can do a transition to a 172 whatever. Savings of about 2000 dollars. Buys you a nice headset and GPS! Best ypou go talk to at least 3 flying schools and make sure at least one Rec flying school discussing transition to GA and a CPL. As I said flying a JABIRU, well landing it, is twice as hard as a 172 and 3 times harder than a PA28.

It is 15 degrees here in Melbourne Australia around this time of the year ( Autumn) so we know what it is like to wear bad clothes mostly we wear thongs and shorts with a wool jumper and headset.