Ultralights

i dont use one personally, but during my training on a trike, it was

fitted with one, and was quite handy... i usually wear a quality

watch when i fly, (i only wear it flying, it has backup Altimeter, and whiz wheel around the bezel)

and use the timer function on the watch, a good aviators watch is

worth it weight in gold, if not more, the watch doesnt weigh much! as a backup i use my GPS

there are quite a few cri cris around, one is a regular at Hoxton pk, (SAAA bbqs)

and up here at willie, there will be 3 soon, 2 mine. a fellow employee

here has already got his to 90% all is required is skin the wings,

which are bonded and 1 piece sheet. get some engines, hopefully some

from the Kingfisher UAV program, as i hope to as well, and paint... i

cant wait to see it fly!

1 of mine wil be sold to pay for my 2nd aircraft.

I have seen the 4 engined RAA registered aircraft at narromine a few

yrs ago. Here are some numbers from the construction manulas, using 2

X 15 hp engines

Wing span - 4.9 mtrs

Wing area - 3.10 Mtrs Sq

Empty weight 78Kg

MTOW - 185 Kg

Max Wing Loading - 55.3 Kg/M2

Max level speed - 110 Kts

Stall Speed full flap- 45 Kts

max ROC - 1200 ft/min

service ceiling 16,000 Ft

Ulimited load factor +9 -4.5 G

I am planning on using 2 x 21 hp engines, im sure my cruise speeds and ROC will be higher..

the low stall speed is acieved using full span 30 deg max Junker style flaperons.

the

only reason i prefer to register with RAA is i am already a RAA pilot

member, and i absolutly dispise CASA and i am not looking forward to

all the red tape required with VH rego. but its starting to look like

getting CASA to alter 95-10 will be a lot more work than trying to

build a 747 from plans then registering it.

I have begun construction of 2 cri cri aircraft, being a twin engined

aircraft, are these capable of being registered under the RAA? instead

of VH-

The cri has an empty weight of 90Kg, and a MTOW of 190Kg.

In the EU, UK and USA its legal to fly these aircraft without a twin engine endorsment..

I hold a valid PPL, and i am considering the cost advantages of RAA rego. as i can still fly in CTA with a trasponder.

i always use the old fashioned method, my GPS isnt really capable of

aviation navigation, though it does come in handy to get your ground

speed. which is pretty much all i use it for.

hahaaha i agree with the choice thing, its taken me Months to cut my choice down to the Savannah only to discover there are yet More choices within the same aircraft type, though i am only buying for personal use and not "for profit or reward"

i have tried my best to not Unlearn what i was originally taught, i

would much rather the instruction from a high hrs WW2 pilot than a new

uni graduate just gaining hrs... a lot of stuff he taught was Not in

the book, but generally inproved my flying skills without increasing

the risk to the aircraft. i ahve even had 1 instructor tell me not to sideslip to reduce height on a high final on a short strip.....

Fortunatly all the Instructor i have encountered have been very good,

and didnt try to change my long learned techniques.... i had approx 300

hrs in Piper Archers and Arrows before discovering the then AUF.... i

was even banned froma well know syd flying establishment after taking

the Archer into The Oaks! first the CFI was annoyed at taking the plane

for 4 hrs and only logging 40 mins airswitch time, though that was my

mistake, and i accept the responibility, but i did make sure there was

no bookings after me, the second time i told him i went to the oaks, he

banned me from his flying school as the strip isnt long enough, funny

when my calculations i still had 400 mtrs of grass left, and in actual

fact, actually used LESS runway than planned! co-incidently, all my

flying gear was stolen from there the same day hmmmmm headests and all.

Simple fact was, i did all my Short field and rough field training at

Short fields! the Oaks, Wedderburn and even Yerranderrie! but the Bankstown guys wouldnt let me take their aircraft on anyting less than 3000 mtrs of concrete! hence my return to The Oaks and the discovery of the AUF.

I am truly thankfull for having found a great instuctor that taught me

to really fly.... and fortunatly i have found another RAAus Instructor

who is similar and will do things out of the ordinary to help his

students gain ever valuable experience.

During my time in GA aircraft, i have noticed vast differences in

Instructors, most noticably in the Piper Archer, my long term

instructor taught me to reduce power on climb after 500Ft or after the

first turn away from runway heading, reduce to climb power and lower

the nose to increase speed, after he retired i moved to another school,

and on the first flight in the archer i did the same and was quickly

reprimanded! funny, it was OK for the first 30 hrs, taught by a very

high time ex WW2 millitary flyer, but it was not to be done with this

new more stricter school. they all hated the fact i would fly without

wearing a Uniform!! oh well....

This time with extending flap, was in an Archer, turning base.

On downwind, speed reduced to below the white arc (80kts)

then as i entered the turn i slowly pulled up the lever to first stage

of flap. i wont lower second or full flap till on long finals or on

base depending on Pax/fuel load, after established on base, speed was a

comfortable 75 Kts and all was well, the instructor basically said I

should not extend flap in a turn..... and that was it, nothing too bad,

but enough to get me thinking... the flight was a check flight after

getting my medical renewed. I hadnt flown in a GA aircraft for quite a

few months, but have been keeping regular in the jabiru.

A CFI got on me for adding flaps while in a turn the other day (turning base actually) and I am not sure why. I forgot to ask him about it after we landed.

So what is the concern there?

And what about when you are circling in from an instrument approach (not that we do instrument approaches in RAA aircraft) where you might be turning continously thru 270 degrees of the compass and end up right on very short final?

When would you bring in the flaps then, beyond the first notch just

before you start that big sweeping turn? there is no mention of

extending flap in a turn in the POH.

Thank you very much, greatly appreciated..

Even though i have a PPL, and held it for over 16 yrs, i have no

experience with Flight following or how it is used, especially in

Australia.

Can somone please enlighten me, and other readers what Flight following is and how is it used??

Thank you.

i am pretty sure once they get their AOC, their aircraft will be transfered to the Australian register. but then again, if their parent company is in the UK, i wonder if all their aircraft flying here will be UK registered ???

Coming soon

thanks very much for that, ill give it a proper go over the weekend.

ok, where do you get scenery like this?

and secondly, i have downloaded some scenery (wide bay area in QLD and Cairns) and have NO idea how to install it?