Frankus1aust

This is the main downer of flying RAA. Getting an available cross country aircraft. I'm wondering if it is worth buying a good S/H factory Jab 230 or similar and putting it on line somewhere. Maybe a syndicate and place a couple of A/C around Melbourne.

I vaguely recall he had an assortment of aircraft and stuff at a property between Wangaratta and Wodonga back in the 70's. A great guy and know a lot about aircraft. He had a gyro plane there as well. Great guy and a real pity about the mess up with the collection. There is talk in Wangaratta about a grant to upgrade the airport for the local tourist market. Might be all talk and I don't know if it is part of a greater regional development plan. Here is a short feature on TV back in the 80's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHBaYm8RTQY

This is not limited to aviation. It seems to be a mindset in some government departments and an incapacity for ministers to penetrate the simplicity of common sense.

Chinese ones would be only good for static display

I'm guessing that Camguard would be useful if you have an aircraft that has periods of inactivity in a potentially corrosive environment. Have a look at the Savvy Aviation videos on YouTube, very interesting. They are recorded webinars from the EAA in the USA and have some great content on flat engines.

And the plane won't sue you for half the house. (But a LAME might)

He's too thin to have spent the last two years at a USA base.

However as an experienced bureaucrat he will know what to do with the other bureaucrats that may be impeding change..... Promote them? All the same it is a chance to start an engagement process with stake holders and up to us to see it through to a functional end.

I think there is a new model Foxbat with an optional hopper in the right seat. Limited load but maybe a reason to tax wrightoff an aircraft?

A pretty good answer.

What a great link. I'm wondering if once at cruising alt, the pilot would hand over to the first officer and order a G&T?

I often wonder with these gear up landings why you wouldn't land on the grass? The tarmac is a spark generator.

The J200/230 is one of the nicest looking Rec aircraft around. With the performance and space, you can't beat it.

Regarding Diabetes, CASA/Avmed have lifted my diabetes type 1 safety pilot restriction so my C2 is now unrestricted. It took quite a while and the money I spent could have paid for a twin rating, however, they finally got there. The Avmed doctor was quite reasonable and I think an earlier incarnation of the system would have waited until I took them to court before acting. I think that is an improvement. All the same, the Avmed section was good and as soon as anything hit the CASA admin side, it was like they never read the doctor's letters. However change is possible and I wrote them a positive acknowledgement.

I've a good run with luggage, only gets lost on the way back. Always take a basic bag of "essentials" in case the luggage goes missing. I'm sure the only time they lose it will be the day I don't take the essentials pack.

You didn't have to wait long

The only perfect landings are when there's no one there to see it

Kilmore Gap and any airports subject to low cloud?

DVD coming?

If you make it to here there's quite a few steam rails still running in a number of different gauges. Around Melbourne Victoria there are at least five tourist rail associations.

It has been a strange week. The revolutionaries are not marching on the CASA palace and I had a call from a doctor from Avmed. I lodged my annual application in early Feb and they called me late March for some extra info so they could promptly process my application. The Doctor was helpful, cooperative and seemed to be listening to what I had to say. After my 20 years of Avmed issues this has never happened before. Maybe it is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius?"

All the more reason for a cohesive industry group to crank up the pressure. With all respects to the AOPA their efforts are going to be one industry group. A whole of industry (or almost whole) can bypass CASA and apply media attention to the situation and ultimately attention to the Minister. There is no greater insult to a Minister than "being overtaken by his department". So action would be forthcoming if the pressure is sustained. Hence as an industry we need to support and participate in our sectional representative organisations and encourage them to associate as a cohesive whole. when you look at it from a media campaign perspective, we have all the ammo. Reluctant as I would be to flog the tabloid journalism aspects of this, it's got all the ingredients. A well put together media news story campaign by a cohesive industry group would create a better appetite for change politically. The trick in a political campaign is knowing when the war is over, No point conquering rubble. Hence I reckon we should all take an interest and contribute positively to the TAAAF efforts and build momentum. Also get this around the industry.

Check out the TAAAF. This might be a small distraction but anybody seen this? http://abaa.com.au/downloads/TAAAF-Aviation-Policy-2016.pdf and here is a link to the PDF http://abaa.com.au/downloads/TAAAF-Aviation-Policy-2016.pdf A bit to it but it is not out of the question that a more collaborative relationship with the regulator could be achieved. I have seen it done in other industries but it doesn't happen without a strong and cohesive body of comparable magnitude to the government body. Any opinions?

The Jab twin is the likely candidate. Realistically we are looking at a small LSA pool at the moment but why rule it out? The great thing about LSA is the opportunity for innovative ideas and products that would otherwise never make it through the system. I would suggest push for it but the weight limit, even if lifted to 1,500 KG's would pretty much exclude GA twins unless I am mistakened. Nothing to lose

Does anybody know if there is a Jab 200/230 for hire around Melbourne? There is a small number of J160's available in the outer East but they are mainly for flying school hire and not available for more than a couple of hours. Not so good if you want to take one for a day trip. RAA type aircraft hire is not like hiring GA where you can get a C172/PA28 pretty much anywhere. There seems a distinct lack of RAA available for hire generally. Apart from buying+storing an aircraft, any rental suggestions?