Flying Officer Kite

That's a really pretty airplane, Scott. I just had a look at your website to learn more about it. Also looked at SilentWings.com website, but it seems they no longer import it. Are there many of these in Oz? -Mike

Yup... the old Editor's catchcry - "never let the facts get in the way of a good story". That and the appalling general ignorance of anything that isn't celebrity-related on the part of so many of today's so-called journalists. - Mike

Great language for swearing though!

You'll be right mate - Brexit to the rescue! -Mike

Imprimatur. (Sorry, even in retirement old sub-editor habits die hard! ) - Mike

Terry, the link is outdated - original post was in 2009!Try Googling "Vista Australis", it brings up several download sources. The vistaoz.org link appears to be a website building outfit. Mike

Agreed - there isn't one on either of the two Foxies I'm training on. Wasn't easy to induce a stall when the recovery procedure was being covered, and anyway the "seat of the pants" alert provided ample warning before it happened!

... and a Jabiru.

You beat me to it, Dr Z! Another detailed report here: Solo student pilot makes emergency landing at Archerfield Airport in Brisbane . Not often a pilot gets a standing ovation from assembled emergency crews and onlookers, but this guy deserved it.

Here you go, Sir: Home - Orbx - Mike

Thanks mn - I'm sure you're right! I had settled on using a Cessna 150 sim, but my pc (or at least the inbuilt graphics card) is so slow that I've temporarily given up on the idea. That's after buying a GeForce gtx 550 ti card with intention of upgrading, only to find that it would also need a bigger power supply to run it. Looking for a used gaming pc instead, but no hurry - I'm still enjoying learning in the real thing! Mike

Hi Young Richard! You're going to love it here, and "Up There"! At 75 I started my RPC training a few weeks ago and am enjoying every minute of it, even if the old brain takes a little longer to soak up the info than it might have done 50 years ago, so I say, "Go for it".. ... Mike

Thanks DWF. My CFI also gave me a similar cheat sheet, which, as a one-time actor, I immediately attempted to memorise. Always had difficulty learning lines, but find that just as with theatrical lines, the standard calls are becoming easier to speak after practice and repetition in context. Fully expect to be on top of them by Opening Night! ... Mike

I second that and am grateful for the advice. Have taken all these helpful comments on board and actually made the taxiing and take off calls perfectly this morning. Even comfortably separated the Caboolture and Caloundra calls as we circled Moreton Island. ... Mike

Damn Frenchies! Don't they know English is the language of the air? Must be a real challenge for you on top of everything else! Listening to the commercial aircraft calls on YBBN ATC, I'm impressed at how clear the calls from foreign pilots are, even with slight accents. Mike

Absolutely correct! My dog thinks I'm even crazier than before, the post ignores me and my missus left me (although that was 40 years ago, so there might have been some other reason). Fortunately no one can hear me when I make circuit and landing calls as I drive the last couple of kms home and up the driveway Mike .

Maybe I've spent too much time listening in on YBBN ATC via the internet. So fast, so precise ... Just takes practice I guess. ... Mike

Thank God - I thought it was just me! Got absolutely tongue tied when my instructor asked me to give the taxiing call on my 4th lesson last week! Knew exactly what to say and immediately had a complete brain-fade as soon as I pressed the button ...Mike

Hi all! Well into my basic RPC training and would like to be able to practice a few things on my FlightGear simulator, but FG doesn't have an Aeroprakt Foxbat simulator package listed in it's own hangar, nor does there seem to be one on their Third Party hangar list. Does anyone here know if such exists? -Mike

Thanks, Planey. Ah, the Britannias - beautiful, dependable and noisy! Most, if not all, were ex-BOAC and were for years the mainstay of the Eagle medium - longhaul fleet, along with the Viscounts on domestic and short-haul routes, prior to the acquisition of BAC 1-11s and Boeing 707s. Pretty sure there'd be some members of this forum who would have migrated to Oz on a Brit during the years EG held the immigrant contract. Those configured with rear-facing seats were occasionally used for holiday flights, but were actually configured that way under a contract for flying scientists and military personnel out to Woomera. One of my last assignments when I worked for EG was preparing a glossy sales brochure to assist in disposal of the by then outdated fleet. Unfortunately, they didn't sell and not long afterwards Eagle collapsed, and the whole airline industry began to change forever. - Mike

Boom boom!

Oh yes - it was a bit windy, come to think of it!

A Yellow Foxbat, brilliant weather - what more could you ask for!

So true, IBob. We also have the advantage of personal computers and devices to make calculations, information collection, communication and even simulated flight easily accessible. Unheard of when I first looked at learning to fly! Everything I've seen and read (on the internet of course) about the Foxbat makes me confident that it's a great choice for an ab-initio student, as well as being highly regarded by experienced RA flyers. I like the look of the Savannah too, but, as I've mentioned elsewhere, it's wiser to confine my aircraft building efforts to plastic model kits! Mike

On balance, Bob, I imagine flying will be more satisfying than bowls (although there's no denying there's a lot of skill involved in that game too). I still remember my first "magic hour" of flight as a passenger (or 'ballast' as the pilot referred to me) in an RAF training glider 50 years ago. The moment when the nose dropped suddenly as soon as the towline was released is still the stuff of nightmares, but half an hour of soaring over Stonehenge at 1000ft soon made up for it! Mike