Jerry_Atrick

Huh! The UK (like the rest of the northern hemisphere) is in spring. Where I am, it was 24 degrees degrees today. I am sure there are normally flu deaths at all times of the year - if you are thinking it is a period of higher flu deaths, well,. you are wrong. I expect the most cases to be the later weeks of the previous year and the earlu weeks of the current year.. And the official reports back that up.

So, looking at last years annual report, on P25, the number of admissions to ICE for influenza - for the whole of week 15 (which is what we are currently in) was.. .drum roll.. under 50.. for the whole week.. Covid 19 sort of dwarfs that figure.. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/839350/Surveillance_of_influenza_and_other_respiratory_viruses_in_the_UK_2018_to_2019-FINAL.pdf Of course, probably not all of them succumbed... but maybe a few hospitalisations that didn't get to ICU may have succumbed.

OK - technically you are right - there are normally deaths this time of year due to influena, but the implication is that it is usually a time of higher deaths and this is not true. And the number we can expect, assuming a numeric equivalent of all ICU admissions ends up in death us currently running at about 1% of Covid19 deaths.. (50 / 7 days in a week = near enough to 7. There is more than 700 deaths a day in the UK to COVID-19...) I think someone earlier said do the maths.. Well, we are more densly populated than Aus - maybe Aus can afford to be a bot more lax.. but the reality here is that a slow response seems to have cost us quite a bit.

@Red - where do you fly from? Most of the GA airfields shut down to all but emergency services flights maybe three weeks ago now. I fly from Blackbushe (not my favourite airfield by a longshot, but the shareoplane is my favourite). They c;losed it so that you can't even go and grab any accoutments (like my ipad) that oneleft behind.

I live in Somerset, a few miles north west of Taunton. Dunkeswell is my closest airfield, but that is closed as well. There has been a C150 buzzing about - I am guessing from a private strip.

BTW, I had a penchant for Honda XL trail bikes.. Saw a 250 on ebay for 2.5K.. Ouch!

I was at Halfpenny Green when the Vampire tore up the runway. We all had to do xwind take offs to get out...

Each state has a slightly different set of rules, which is crazy, but if you go to your property to perform essential maintenance, and given the events over the summer just gone, fire breaks would be considered one I would think, then even the most jobs-worth policeman would find it hard to book you for it. If he (or she) did, let it go to court and see how quickly it gets laughed out.

Love the rego...

Having seen the accident with my own eyes its terrible to see the comments, assumptions and descriptions of what you keyboard wannabe pilots are talking about.

 

Its absolute rubbish, you are so far from the facts that’s its hardly worth replying.

 

You might as well say the plane was returning from an orbit of Mars, did a flypast in front of 27 pregnant women and a maggot chewed the wing off. This is about as accurate as what diatribe is being hypothesised here.

 

Remember, other people, including family can read this and it screws with their heads when you have burns survival theories of adding this with that and that’s when you will die !

 

C’mon, be respectful and responsible, wait a few weeks until we can talk.

 

We can’t talk now because we will pollute other witnesses who have not recorded statements yet.

I whole heartedly agree...

BTW, I have no problem with uninformed speculation - I do it myself... But I am clear that in the absence of facts, from what I have seen, these are POSSIBLE theories..

But when the guy who owns the site says this: "ENOUGH...the topic of this thread and the two unfortunate fellow aviators do not deserve this kind of posting" and from the posts I saw, I have to agree, it exceeded deceny.

Berearved may not expressly come to this or any other site for information - but a google search will direct them here...

If all yer gots is a hammer then all you see is nails.

I have no effin idea what you are talking about... But keep 'em coming.. the banter is most amusing...

We know the demographics of over 95% of the ChiCom fatals.

OK - so let's go to herd immunity.. 95% of the COVID-19 fatals are whatever you think they are - lets say over 65s.. That leaves 5% of the fatality rate for the under 65's

Let's humour you and assume all Aussies are under 65 - and I will round down the Aussie population to 24m... And lets round down the infection rate if left unchecked (remember, we are assuming all are under 65) to 50% of the population.,. That's 24m / 2 = 12m and 5% fatality rate (your figures) = 600,000 deaths - are you really happy with that? Oh, and of course, it would happen over a relatively short period, and what you neglect to mention is the percentage that requires hospitalistion and intensive care - of which such a rapid spread would cause many to miss out on as the resources are not there - further increasing the death rate.. which will be more than 5% and also because, of course, Australia has over 65s and the mortaility rate for those is much higher.

As I’ve mentioned from the get-go. Isolate yer-self if yer over 65 or have the identified health issues of concern - or are just worried.

Tell that to Boris, who is a reasonably fit 55 year old..

The rest of us get back to it...?

I volunteer you to be our guinea pig and get yourself infected and tell us how it turns out.. I would be most curious...

Bummer.. Whereabouts in Canada?

Over here in the UK - virutally all GA airfields are closed to everything except emergency services. Therefore, all instruction - ground or air looks to be off.

Yesterday evening, I saw a C150 in the air. Today, at 16:35Z (17:35 local), there is a single Jodel 1050 that looks to have taken off form a private strip (see FR24 pic, below). Notice, there are only 2 rotors airborne in all of Scotland and it looks like a taxying aircraft at Glasgow (found out, it too is a rotor). My guess is these are for North Sea oil rigs... No CAT/RPT.

The second picture shows Heathrow and Gatwick (and covers the Heathrow stacking area). No aircraft at Gatwick - just a couple of ground vehicles; Heathrow unbelievably quiet..

Still read the posts - great source of amusement...

In the UK, the guvmint is directly injecting cash into the airlines (is my understanding), including BA, which is now a Spanish company... Flybe went broke because they were already in dire straits... Although I fear for a few flying schools, like the virus itself, those that already have underlying issues will probably be the ones to fall; the guvmint is injecting billions into small businesses that are directly impacted by the lockdown..

Deleted... Thought I was posting against a late pst.. Sorry chaps

Specific: "Clearly identified or defined".. I think we are in agreement there, squire..

Hmm Provision.. Your meaning is the verb; of which it may or may not be.. actually, provision in common parlance as a very beans to provide with or some such meaning (e.g. "He has been provisioned with the basic necessities to see him through the isolatsion period, including copious quantities of dunny roll").

My Blacks Law Dictionary is in one of our unopened boxes since we have moved, but a quick internet search provided this: What is SUNSET PROVISION? definition of SUNSET PROVISION (Black's Law Dictionary)

It is a privision [or condition] of law that provides an expiry date or event. Now, for it to be a privision, it has to be legally referenceable - i.e. in a legal instrument of some order such as an act of parliament, delegated legislation, or in the case of EU law, a national competent authority (in the case oif aviation for the UK, the CAA) legal instrument giving local legal effect to the EU law. The point I am making is that provision a generic term in law (when referencing statutory or delegated instruments) that is those statutory or delegated instruments.

As you and I both know, quite often legal definitions of terms are not the same as common or derived parlance.

Happy to discuss

BTW - Congrats on getting Vic government departments to correct things and do the right thing - from experience, that is not eaasy unless you're on the inside..

EASA CANNOT DO IT. The regs are so poorly written and change at such pace, contradictory, etc, that even instructors and EASA itself can't always work them out. When asked what a speciic provision meant, the response was, just comply with the spirit of the regulation... How can you operate like that???

A bit of background: When we moved (for me, back to) Melbourne in 2003, I was effectively grounded as it was an expensive place to live on one salary and, well, my partner isn't too keen on any form of flying, anyway. So, to keep entertained, I would "play" MS flight simulator and more often than not fly the default Mooney. My son, around 9 months old would watch me, and maybe at 18 months was flying himself (and not doing a bad job). On my 40th birthday, we went to Tocumwal for the weekend to celebrate, staying at the Coachmans Cottages (I think they have changed now). I managed to convince my partner to let me go for a "joyflight" so I took my son to John Williams aviation, which I knew had a couple of Mooneys. Upon entering the hangar, John and I introduced ourselves and my son instantly recognised his fleet, pointed to them and proclaimed, "Mooney". John was a little stunned by it and complimented him on his aircraft knowledge.

Fast forward to October 24, 2010, and my son had just turned 8 years old. We moved back to the UK in 2006. I have yet to get back into flying, but am still "playing" with MS FSX, as his he. He is a prickly and stubborn so-and-so and was getting on my nerves a bit; so my partner suggests I take him away for an overnighter, I book some hotel somewhere for the next weekend and warn him that bad behaviour will result in it being cancelled. By Wednesday, we cancelled it. A couple of weeks later, he has a week of reasonably good behaviour, so on the Saturday morning, I jump onto one of those last minute booking sites and score a night at the Crown Plaza, Marlow Bottom for about £50. Fantastic.. So we hurriedly pack and off we go.

The next morning, we awoke to a cold, but crisp and gin clear British winter's day. We hop into the car, but being a Sunday in a semi-rural area, there is not much happening. We found a park and had a kick of football (soccer) and then when bored of that, I thought, Wycombe Air Park (Booker) is not too far from here, so rang the missus to ask her if she would mind if we went for a joyflight. She was very hesitant (as she still thinks those tiny aircraft just randomly fall from the sky), but I reassured her that the flying school there was only until very recently British Airways Flying Club, had superbly maintained aircraft and the instructors were second to none. She agreed, so son and I drove to the aerodrome.

Thanks to the relatively new EASA and its regulatory fight to put private GA out of business, flying schools could no longer give joyflights on their approvals (they basically needed a full charter service AOC); I didn't know this and when I asked if we could book joyflight, I got a very stern look from behind the desk and was told in no uncertain terms they don't do them anymore. When I inquired why, the response was given but I was offered as an alternative a trial instructional flight. We looked up the booking sheet and there was a slot available at 4pm. It was 11am now. Darn it, 5 hours to wait, but as I still hadn't returned to flying, I was prepared to wait it out.

After driving around, singing silly lyrics to the tune of a well known TV commercial at the time, interrupted by a fine roadside services lunch of McChucks or some such similar cuisine, we drove back to Booker a little early with the idea of stopping the cafe overlooking the grass runway where gliding takes place. The cafe was closed, so we whiled away our time looking at the aircraft arriving and taking off. With about 15 mins to go before our slot, we walked in and started the process.

We were assigned an instructor and after introductions, he guessed correctly who the student pilot was. It was quite funny, because he literally raided the every cushion from the two sofas and a desk chair. Armed with them, a clipboard, map and headsets, he looked a sight with all his accroutments wanting to egress from his clutches as we walked across the apron to the PA28, refusing my offer of assistance. He placed 3 of the large cushions under my son and two behind his back and asked an instructor returning from another lesson to take the excess baggage back to the club house.

The instructor and my son pre-flighted the exterior of the plane and then the interior. The instructor went through everything and my son absorbed it all. Then the instructor fiiddled around, but finally got my son to a point where he could reach the control column comfortably, but his legs dangled and could not reach the rudder pedals:

I hopped into the back (yuk!) and the preflight commenced. Soon we were taxying for 24L, which is grass. Remeber, my son is 8 years old and during the taxi, he asks if he can take off. I thought to interject to make it easy on the instructor to say no, but before I could make a decision, the instructor calmly says, "Yes.. I will operate the rudder - you can do everything else.. By the way, what are you going to do?"

I was gobsmacked. The boy not only went through the throttling up and at 55kts, raising the nose, but also answered he would check the airspeed is alive and the DG is pointing in the runway direction. "Very well, let's see how you do!"

Lined up and with clearance to take off, it was the first time ever, I thought of really asking the ol' fella upstairs to have mercy on us. But the little fella, with his right hand, nurtured the throttle towards the firewall, checked the DG and called airspeed alive. At precisely 55kts he pulled back on the control column and the PA28 almost rivaled an F/A 18 pointing towards the sky. "Maybe not so enthusiastically" said the instructor as he nudged the control column forward a little and called my son having back control.

Darn it, he was showing me up! He was bang on 79kts and a little over 550fpm climb and I am sure the centreline was in line with his rear-end.

Well, the instructor gave my son instructions, and he dutifly carried them out. turns, ascents, descents etc. He was pretty good and held altitude and heading better than many experienced pilots. Here's a medium level turn he was executing:

We would continue and he would ask questions, follow instructions, and without any correction from the instructor (at least none that I could remember - of course the instructor would be on the rudders when required).. The instructor, however, did deny his request to try a stall - maybe they are forbidden in TIFs...

As we flew over Blenheim Palace (I think), he did ask if we could land on the driveway and visit. I think the insructor would have liked to:

And the boy could not ask enough questions:

Finally, and too quickly, the bimble came to an end.. The instructor allowed the boy to come within about 50' of landing before he took control. Of course, the instructor was talking the boy down, but he had the speed and rate of descent nailed... Bad photo and more than 50' above the ground, but you can see the boy clearly has control:

We landed and taxied back to the cliub house. As he was under 14 (EASA increased it from 13, though would not have mad a difference ion this case), he could not log it, so they presented with with a TIF certificate and a symbolic log book entry.

He was on a buzz; I was on a buzz, too.. I knew I would have to start saving for his flying lessons (though, he wold have to contribute). I raced home to show the missus the photos and when we arrived, we already had some friends visiting. As they left, I had to apologise for not letting them get a word in edgeways as I vividly recalled every moment of that flight...

Sadly, he lost interest in flying at around 14 (saved my a bucket); I think the gene that kicks in with distractions started... But, it looks like now, at 17, he is getting the bug again...

Sorry about the quality of the photos. A bad workman always blames his tools and I am blaming the Blackberry I had with me which was old school even then..

JA

Just put him/her/them on your ignore list. Problem solved.

This is a very broad church, mosque, synagogue, temple... And I would not consider blocking people who are not being repeatedly being personally offensive as not being open to others opinions and facts... And I am looking forward in earnest (and I am being serious) to everyone providing constructive and substantiated facts, opinions and debates..

My comment was simply (and I am yet to have read those since making mine, so apologies if I have missed something) that the arguments are the same and seem to be just going arond the treadmill..

I have to say, I bucked out of this one.. .

Assertion - the maths show low death rates...

Reality - they do, but the rate of indection and the rate of hospitalisation shows that the leaths services of whatever coutnry would be quickly overwhelmed - and the death rate would then increase...

Assertion - doctors and health experts don't no what they're talking about... and a spreading hysteria and fear mongerung..

Reality - Armchair pilots are the same with aviation....

Repeat the assertions and defences over and over again...

I gave up biting when there was nothing new that was being asserted... @octave, I understand why you're doing it, but.... seriously.. when then inlet valves are closed,.. not much you can do...

Hello George, an welcome. You will find, although Aussie focused, this site members from all over....

Aeronca!

(Doh! Wrong thread)..

And another:

One for @willedoo :

@Vincik , I saw the NOTAM of Italy closing VFR flights a couple of weeks ago. feel for you as the lockdown is pretty tight there. I would think wine is more of a necessity than other stuff at the moment to help people keep sane (except, of course, those that are negatively affected by alcohol). Here, breweries are considered essential services and pubs are converting to delivery/take away food outlets and some, as in Aus, also do retail. Our local village pub, which has a landlord who is inexperienced is only doing fish and chips every other Saturday at the moment. We are lucky - as of yesterday, in all of Somerset (my county), only 48 people have been comfirned infected and all in the one location, just south of Westonzoyland. As the crow files, it is about 15 miles or so NNE of me (ironically, not far from the GP suregery I am registered at).

I hope Italy comes out of it soon... From what I have seen of Italy, it is one of the more community spirited societies I have seen where age is not seen as a defining factor of whom one socialises with; Each time I have been there, I have relished the hospitality and the spirit of Italians (mainly have been to the North). It must be on the verge of agonising for so many to not be able to interact with their fellow people.

Stay safe, sir.. Hope to be flying there in June...

Darn it, just saw this after by diatribe in the bfr thread! Well done to CASA.

Is EASA land, thee is no such thing as a BFR anymore.. Basically the rules are:

• By your two year anniversary since your last renewal, you have to have flown for at least 12 hours in the last 12 months and if you have, you need to do an hour dual with an instructor in your last three months leading up to the expiry of your renewal. They CANNOT fail you and the flight does not even have to be instructional (in other words, grab an instructor - go for a bimble and land - as long as you are dual and it is an hour, that's all it needs).
  
• If you miss this - or oddly, if you meet the requirement but the instructor doesn't file the paperwork by the expiry, then you have to do a flight renewal test - which is sort of like a BFR used to be, but no flight plan and no navigation - from memory it is the three stalls, PFL, normal and glide approach - may be a bit more - can't recall ever doing short field, precautionary landings, low level or anything like that out of necessity). I think EFATOs are in the test. Remember it is only required if you let your renewal lapse.
  

I know a couple of flight instructors who have been very clear to people they have done the biennial hour with that if they had the power, they would have grounded them. They can formally write up areas they think the pilot should get remedial instruction on - no more. How is that for safety? (BTW - EASA think a mountain of paperwork and bureaucracy will make everything allright).

My personal minimas are a biut more stringent:

- 90 days since flying or of I am feeling rusty anyway - I grab my examiner and we blow the cobwebs off by doing basically the renewal test mentioned above and more if I feel that rusty (so, for example, it has been over 6 months because of the paint job that overran.. so I will go straight to the next point).

- Every two years - we bascially re-do the whole flight test and then some.

In the case of lockdown - maybe they should take a view that if you were current, e.g. had flown, I dunno, 3 hours in the last 3 months or something, the extension could be granted; otherwise, you are likely to be rust anyway and you shouldn't be flying... The precise definition of being too rustly may be 6 hours in 6 months - but has to be reasonable as we know lack of recency is an issue with flying skills.

I personally have no problem doing the BFR. Many pilots I speak to who fly many more hours than me loathed having to di it when it was a requirement over here as they were always current. But, almost every time I asked how often they preactices stalls, EFATOs and PFLs, the answer more often than not was they hand;t or at least not enough. It is debatable whether once in 2 years is enough, but at least it gives some meaure of competence and prvides the opportunity to practice if that is required.

FWIW, I think road drivers/riders should have to go through similar - maybe every 5 years. Over here, we have speed awareness courses when one gets done (only allowed onve every three years and if you attend, you don't get your demerit points). I attended one (caught on camera going 33mph through a 30mph zone in a village at about 11pm.. Police here would not even bother - shows when public servants get to make the decisions, things are not quite the same), I consider myself a reasonably good driver, and they basically sent through the whole road safety thing - not just speed kills - and it did indeed refresh some of the grey cells that maybe had taken a too relaxed attitude to some things such as distance between cars, skidding, etc.

I am not a member of RAAus and not knowledgable of its politics (to provide context to this post). Althog I take what you say, Ian, does going digital not then introduce some level of accountability that I am inferring from the posts in this thread may not exist? If people are askign questions and RAAus are pporviding answers, then they will have to be carefule about whow the frame these answers as these will exist in perpetuuity. Even if the forum is via some interactive webinar tech or video converencing cuh as zoom, the streams can be recorded, so being flippant, careless, not answeering questions; or conversly responding in a thoughtful manner, explaining a particular question is complex and requires a bit or work and providing an anticiapted timeframe being documented and evidenced for all to see and judge. Yes, there can be trolls and degenirates that try and manufacture something that it isn't, but surely the accountability it brings is a good thing?

Take your point - if they are inexperienced, they are taking a risk, but the organisastion will have to move with the times at sometime?