RA-AUS Cross country endorsement

[Blueadventures]

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

The Average junior Pilot is NOT Interested. They'd rather depend on The gizmos backed by redundancy  GNSS is one form of IMC Navigation  and widely used with Proper training and good systems but It is NOT VMC Flying The reality sets in when you can't see the ground and you only have a Rough idea where you are and you aren't qualified to fly in cloud.. Nev

Yep some of the younger, like auto pilot and netflix movie downloads.  Sad but happens and talking one up.

[facthunter]

You fly a small plane to Be one with it, not to turn it into an automated whiz bang Toy.  Nev

[Moneybox]

My flight trainer told me to get Chapter 10 of Steward Maddigan's flight training manual. From studying this I really understood the theory and practical of cross country flying. Of course you could buy his entire Flight Training Manual but chapter 10 is all you need and it can be purchased separately. The exercises are WA based but you just use a map of your choosing although I recommend doing a paper study of the course he has noted just to get a clear understanding of each stage of the process. If you need a copy of that part of the chart I can post it here.

 

https://www.amazon.com.au/FLIGHT-TRAINING-MANUAL-performance-Recreational-ebook/dp/B0BYXQNQLM 

 

I didn't buy it from Amazon but it comes on Kindle anyway and I thoroughly recommend it.

[danny_galaga]

16 hours ago, facthunter said:

You fly a small plane to Be one with it, not to turn it into an automated whiz bang Toy.  Nev

There's an ra Aus kit plane in the hangar that has 3 axis auto pilot, two glass displays etc. it's a beautiful rocket ship, the owner did an amazing job, even upholstering the seats himself. He loves it, and each to their own, but yes I fully agree.

 

In the same hangar is a Drifter, the pilot of that flies 727s normally. Clearly for him, a small plane is definitely there to connect with. Keeping it real and reminding himself of what attracted him to flying in the first place.

[danny_galaga]

On 07/04/2026 at 11:33 AM, skippydiesel said:

What makes you think that?

Student/Low time pilot looking for pointers, does not necessarily indicate that they are just relying on an EFB.

 

As for the $2 compass - don't forget how seafarers navigated before,  what we would recognise, as a compass was invented. 

 

Panic is the enemy when your nave systems "go walk about". A bit of common sense goes along way.  When all else fails, your relationship to large geographic features (may be non existent in Central AU far out to sea) should give strong clues as to flight direction and then there is the friendly voice of ATC .😈

I first learnt to fly I. Darwin. You could always just follow the Stuart Highway 😄

[facthunter]

Not in the WET season. Nev

[BurnieM]

9 minutes ago, danny_galaga said:

I first learnt to fly I. Darwin. You could always just follow the Stuart Highway 😄

IFR ?

 

[facthunter]

You maybe haven't experienced Flying in the top end in the wet. You need weather radar and Believe it or  not Anti Icing if you flew above say, FL180. Darwin is the Place to experience thunder and lightning, preferably from the Ground. The Intertropic convergence zone on the Way to East TIMOR can be some of the most extreme weather you will ever encounter with Cb Tops to 60,000 feet like a wall of Green ice to look at. Planes Have disappeared without trace there.. Nev

[danny_galaga]

Yes, having grown up in Darwin, I had no real awareness that our weather was so different. I knew in an academic sort of sense, but didn't really appreciate it until I lived in Vancouver for about six months, and the two warmer seasons to boot. I thought, oh this is civilised ☺️. Then eventually moved to Brisbane and discovered they had say 8-10 months of lovely weather, instead of Darwin's 2-3. Still tropical thunderstorms are fantastic to watch. From the ground 🙂

[BrendAn]

On 09/04/2026 at 11:19 AM, danny_galaga said:

I first learnt to fly I. Darwin. You could always just follow the Stuart Highway 😄

thats ifr

[turboplanner]

There are parts of Australia where, no matter where you want to fly within an hour or so, you can't get lost. Most of Gippsland is one - you have the great diving range at the top and Bass Strait at the bottom. People who fly there don't even need maps..................but one of our members got lost.

 

You'd think crossing the Nullarbor to western Australia would be another..........but one person got lost and didn't survive.

 

I NSW and some other places the E-W boundaries of paddocks run North-South, and flying from Victoria to Queensland the grain towers are an obvious land mark.

 

However, much of the developed area of Australia requires full nav. equipment and even then there are potholes. On one of my later Navexes with an Instructor testing me, I'd flight planned a turn south of Bendigo, so hardly outback. It was going to be easy the turn was at a Road+Rail Line+Lake on the right. On all previous Navexes I could see the turn points 2 minutes out. This time the turn point wasn't there but looking out to the right I saw the rail line crossing the road and there out to the right was the lake. I made the turn, marked the map, but after about ten minutes my next landmark wasn't there. I could see a rail line and station so I turned off track again and dipped down to read the sign, and was able to get back on my track and home.

 

 

[danny_galaga]

12 hours ago, BrendAn said:

thats ifr

How is that IFR? Or am I missing a joke?

[T510]

1 hour ago, danny_galaga said:

How is that IFR? Or am I missing a joke?

I Follow Roads.... or railway lines or rivers

[facthunter]

Which to follow, you have to be in VFR conditions.  Nev

[BurnieM]

29 minutes ago, T510 said:

I Follow Roads.... or railway lines or rivers

Yeah, Brendon needs to keep up.

We did that joke yesterday.

 

[facthunter]

How about I follow Rules?

[PureCaboose]

Interesting flight route, as oppposed to runinng the magenta line?

 

[BurnieM]

27 minutes ago, facthunter said:

How about I follow Rules?

Hell no.

We are from RAAus !

 

[danny_galaga]

1 hour ago, T510 said:

I Follow Roads.... or railway lines or rivers

Now I get it ☺️

[facthunter]

It will only work IF you can see them. Nev

[BrendAn]

2 hours ago, facthunter said:

Which to follow, you have to be in VFR conditions.  Nev

If your not in vfr your not an raaus pilot.  I have been reading through the aviation accident report site and it is staggering how many vfr pilots worldwide fly into cloud and die every month not year. Followed closely by stall spins into the ground.  Is it complacency or what.

[BrendAn]

2 hours ago, BurnieM said:

Yeah, Brendon needs to keep up.

We did that joke yesterday.

 

Sorry didn't see that. Too busy.

Or maybe I just stole it off you😁

[facthunter]

It only Happens to other Pilots. Flying in cloud is easy. Everyone Knows which WAY down IS. What Piece of Paper you hold is not important .IF you  aren't trained and in good shape fully Prepared and  recent you have a Good chance just dying and taking others with you, needlessly.  Some People just won't be told anything. They  are destined to find out the HARD way. Nev

[BrendAn]

2 minutes ago, facthunter said:

It only Happens to other Pilots. Flying in cloud is easy. Everyone Knows which WAY down IS. What Piece of Paper you hold is not important .IF you  aren't trained and in good shape fully Prepared and  recent you have a Good chance just dying and taking others with you, needlessly.  Some People just won't be told anything. They  are destined to find out the HARD way. Nev

I have even read about ifr pilots that refuse to believe what the instruments are telling them and crash too.

[facthunter]

Unlikely as It's the FIRST  and MOST Important thing they are taught to do. Also don't rely on JUST ONE instrument. Nev