Neil_S

Hi Ballpoint, Really sorry to hear about the break-in, and your job. There are some real scum around sadly, but if they are too stupid to realize the ELB is useless to anyone but the registered owner then, like has been said, I hope they are stupid enough to activate it! Hope the items get returned. Cheers Neil

Been in IT for decades, first as a programmer on mainframes, then database technical manager for a UK airline, but more recently as a specialist database support engineer.

Duly signed. Good luck, mate!! I wonder how many of the complainants bought a house in the area AFTER the airfield was already in operation. I would wager a good proportion! Cheers Neil

Hi Skypup, What an amazing little plane! Looks heaps of fun. I fly out of Penfield, so am looking forward to seeing you and the pup flying there one day. Keep us posted on your progress. Cheers Neil

Well done, Jerra, nothing like the first flight as PIC! Happy Landings Neil

Thanks guys, especially Vev, appreciate your inputs. I was basically going to keep the fuel for up to a couple of months, then put it into my car if not used, so you have pretty much confirmed that would be a reasonable approach. I use the 10 & 20 litre containers sold at Auto stores specifically for petrol storage (Australian Standard nnnnn), so I assume they are okay. Cheers! :big_grin: Neil

Hi guys, I think this may have been touched on before in some other threads, but I have a specific question that perhaps someone can answer. At what rate does unleaded petrol's octane rating degrade? Is it just based on time, or do other factors come into play (eg temperature)? I usually buy 98 octane PULP for our plane, but sometimes it sits in my garage for weeks before I refuel with it. Basically I would just like to have a comfort factor wrt how long I could theoretically store it before it became unsuitable for use in our Rotax 912. Thanks in advance, Neil

Hi Jay, Welcome to the site! How about telling us a bit about yourself - where do you fly from, how long have you been flying etc etc. I see you fly a Petrel Amphibian - looks like an interesting aircraft - what area of water do you fly that from? Hope to hear some more details from you! Cheers Neil

Hi Sloper, I use multifocals (ie graduated) all the time - driving, flying, working on the PC - just need to tell the optician what you need and they sort out the appropriate details for close work, distance work etc. Cheers Neil

Hi Tomo, Great pix! Some interesting planes there. Cheers Neil

Hey Kaz, I also planned to go to Kyneton for the Biggest Morning Tea, but flying from Penfield. Looking at the forecast a NW of up to 40 knots coming over Mt Macedon simply meant "Don't Go". Milder north-westerlies still mean turbulence when taking off or landing on RW 36, as I had found out previously, so with that strength and a forecast of medium to severe turbulence made it an easy, albeit unwelcome, decision. So I went to the web site and donated what I would have spent on fuel via credit card instead. Cheers Neil

Hi Bubbleboy, Being from the UK it makes perfect sense to me! Cheers Neil

Hi Rod, Congratulations! Hope you plan to come over to Penfield in it so we can have a look! Cheers Neil

Hi Damono, I have flown there a few times from Penfield and have always had a friendly reception and chat to whoever was hanging around! Also some interesting planes in the hangars. Runways are grass. Why don't you give them a call? The number in ERSA is 0429 354717 (owner Garry Baum), or Country Airstrip Guide has CFI Bruce Vickers on 0400 849031 - I'm sure they would like to hear from you.... Cheers Neil

Hi Ben, Thanks - the videos are great. I missed the Southern Knights (had to drive to Echuca as wx was crap here in Melbourne) so it was great to see the video of their display, as well as the others. Cheers Neil

Congratulations! Well done Winsor68 Neil

Well done! :clap2: You will enjoy exploring the 25nm, but want to get further, so good luck on getting your XC endorsement!

Hear Hear!

Hi folks, I have about 80 photos from NatFly, so posted them on Flickr at the following URL :- Hope you enjoy them.... Neil

Hi folks, OK - my 2 cents-worth. This was the first Natfly that my Gazelle co-owner, Matt, and I had attended, so we were not able to compare with previous years. We flew in on the Thursday afternoon and left on Sunday morning. * First off the arrival arrangements with a separate Ground Control frequency, and colour-coded Follow Me vehicles, worked very well - we were guided straight to a camping location and got set up very quickly. * We found the registration location without much problem and picked up the agendas for the presentations. The big labels to hang on your propellor with your name and departure location was a good idea, and I would perhaps suggest some sort of reasonably-sized label for people to wear showing their name and Rec Flying handle may be an idea for future events, as there were a number of people that I would have liked to meet up with but failed to do so, although I met up with their planes! Maybe also a second Rec Flying meet-up session on the Saturday as has been suggested. Putting faces to names is always good. * The food court was pretty good, and adequate for the numbers there, but I could see it may have been struggling with more people. * The exhibitions were interesting but as someone else pointed out - the Carbon Cub at $225,000 is not really my idea of "affordable Recreational Flying"! Some more exhibits of kits, or under $100,000 pre-builts, would certainly have got my interest. I also visited the museum, and a flight by any of the museum aircraft would certainly have been a bonus for me. * The presentations that I attended were all interesting, from the "how to update your Garmin software" through to "hands-on fabric covering". Well done, and thanks to all the presenters. * The community bus service into town worked OK for us, with entertaining and friendly bus drivers, and on the Thursday evening when we managed to miss the return bus we were able to get one of the two local taxis back to the airfield. * On the Sunday morning when ready to depart we were able to grab a ground marshall pretty quickly and got lined up and ready to go without any fuss. So for us it was a very enjoyable event, we met up with some friendly fellow aviators and local people, and had a great time. A big thank you to all the organizers for your efforts - they are very much appreciated by the likes of us, and any comments should be seen as suggested improvements, not criticisms. Looking forward to next year.... Neil

Hi Paul, I live at Hoppers and got my RA-Aus licence at Penfield, which is at Sunbury, a lot closer than Warnambool. At Penfield you would learn in a Texan, which is somewhat similar to a Sportstar, so you could easily move to a Sportstar later if you wanted to. Something to consider anyway. Cheers Neil

Hi Storchy Neil! Good to hear from you. Yes - my old phone needed replacing anyway so I have decided to lash out some dosh & get a new one and a Telstra connection. Hope to see you there! Cheers Neil

Hi Ian, Hope to fly in early on the Sunday morning, wx permitting of course. Looks like a fantastic line-up. Will drive if the wx is bad. Cheers Neil

Ah Maj, now you have got me really jealous! Along with Santana, Grace Slick & Jefferson Airplane used to be one of my fave bands when I was a teenager. And when I lived in London a bunch of us from work used to go and see BB King every time he played at Hammersmith Odeon. What a superb showman, and he is still playing gigs even now! Cheers Neil

Thanks very much for your replies, guys. I guess the Telstra one gets it....Shame it's the most expensive! Cheers Neil