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First flight for grand daughter no 2. I'm going to try to make Pilots of them both👩‍✈️

Had a great overnight fly out to Lake Dunn a nicely prepared strip surface and is planned to be lengthened a bit for Royal Flying Doctor requirements / use. Weather was mint, great company and good feeds. It's a 207 N/ml flight from my home strip. Lake Dunn August 2025.mp4

When I was flying I ALWAYS had the beacon where it could be grabbed quickly and I briefed my passenger on how to use it. I ALWAYS flew as high as possible over water (usually between Wallaroo and Cowell in South Australia) and always let ATC know my intentions. But that's just me, I know of pilots who fly above 100% cloud cover and navigate by GPS alone. I know pilots who fly over water at low altitudes (due cloud) and have bugger all time to get out a mayday, trigger the beacon, brief passengers when the engine stops. They are out there with their 'she'll be right attitudes' and when they come to grief, too many take some poor soul with them. Alas, as I got older I got stupider (is that a word?) so I no longer fly.

Skip, I'd still suggest you have a go. I once submitted an airticle and Nick was good at suggesting edits. The article was published and he sent me a Sport Pilot Hat 😁 If each member of this forum wrote one article a year, he'd be flooded with more relevant content than he could publish.

The pilot posted this in the comments in a follow up video: @the_aeropraktician 1 day ago (edited) 'Reason was largely unknown. There was an SB on the older windscreens where they had to be inspected for cracks around the rivet holes. This one had been inspected with no anomaly’s found. It’s always part of my preflight when I clean it as well. The US Importer for Aeroprakt , Andy, who I know and respect greatly reached out Saturday evening after the event and mentioned he was going to be in contact with the factory on Monday, which he did. Aeroprakt made the SB a mandatory replacement to a thicker upgraded windscreen on Monday after our incident. Hopefully the SB being a mandatory replacement will save a life."

Alright — based on your Sonex Legacy’s performance, your fuel preferences, and your desire for 2–3 hr legs with interesting stops, I’ve mapped out a suggested coastal-leaning route from The Oaks to Serpentine, WA, avoiding significant overwater except the short hop across northern Spencer Gulf. I’ve also aimed for airfields with MOGAS (95–98 RON) availability or good nearby access, overnight options, and interesting stopovers. Proposed Route — The Oaks to Serpentine (WA) Leg 1: The Oaks (YSKC) → Temora (YTEM) Distance: ~165 NM Flight time: ~1 hr 20 min Fuel: MOGAS available on-field Why stop: Aviation museum, welcoming GA community Leg 2: Temora → Mildura (YMIA) Distance: ~205 NM Flight time: ~1 hr 35 min Fuel: MOGAS available nearby (contact aero club) Why stop: Large regional hub, good overnight & meal options Leg 3: Mildura → Renmark (YREN) Distance: ~115 NM Flight time: ~55 min Fuel: MOGAS available (check with Renmark Aero Club) Why stop: Murray River scenery, small friendly airfield Leg 4: Renmark → Port Augusta (YPAG) (short Spencer Gulf hop) Distance: ~195 NM Flight time: ~1 hr 35 min Fuel: MOGAS nearby (requires jerry cans) Why stop: Gateway to the Eyre Peninsula, decent accommodation options Leg 5: Port Augusta → Ceduna (YCDU) Distance: ~210 NM Flight time: ~1 hr 40 min Fuel: MOGAS availability can vary — call ahead Why stop: Coastal scenery, oysters & seafood Leg 6: Ceduna → Nullarbor Roadhouse (YNULL) Distance: ~295 NM Flight time: ~2 hrs 20 min Fuel: Only AVGAS — likely your first unavoidable AVGas stop Why stop: Iconic Nullarbor location, cliffs nearby Leg 7: Nullarbor Roadhouse → Caiguna (YCAG) Distance: ~280 NM Flight time: ~2 hrs 10 min Fuel: AVGAS only Why stop: Long straight Eyre Highway stretch, easy access to accommodation Leg 8: Caiguna → Esperance (YESP) Distance: ~260 NM Flight time: ~2 hrs Fuel: MOGAS possible via local contacts Why stop: Stunning beaches, great for a rest day if weather’s good Leg 9: Esperance → Albany (YABA) Distance: ~180 NM Flight time: ~1 hr 25 min Fuel: MOGAS possible through aero club Why stop: Coastal scenery, historic whaling station, good overnight Leg 10: Albany → Serpentine (YSEN) Distance: ~160 NM Flight time: ~1 hr 20 min Fuel: MOGAS in Perth area Why stop: Destination! Serpentine Airfield is a big recreational flying hub Route Summary Total Distance: ~2,065 NM (~3,825 km) Flight Days: 5–7 days comfortable pace MOGAS Stops: Temora, Mildura, Renmark, Esperance, Albany (plus possible others with jerry can use) AVGAS-only Stops: Nullarbor, Caiguna (unless fuel drops arranged in advance) Overnights Recommended: Mildura, Port Augusta, Ceduna, Caiguna, Esperance Straight from Chat GPT.

It's not such a huge step from timber to communications....

You probably missed the saga prior to your 5 years with it? Much happened after that. I was following it all but I'm sure I don't know the whole story. Some years ago, one of my friends sought a dual flight in a Bristell at a flight school. He was told they didn’t do stalls in them! A year or so later a CASA examiner told me that pilots were presenting themselves for flight tests in Bristells and refusing to stall them for the test. Why was that? I spoke to some Bristell flight instructors. In 2020, CASA issued a safety notice for flight schools operating Bristells which “prohibited from conducting an intentional stall of the aircraft, or from performing any flight training activities that could reasonably lead to an unintended stall …” CASA then “sought confirmation from the manufacturer as to compliance with the ASTM LSA standards and, in particular, spin compliance flight testing. At the present time, CASA has not received sufficient assurance as to the extent of such testing, including testing covering each design variant.” It seemed to me that BRM had shown compliance with the spin requirements (I reviewed the reports) but CASA was stuck on the thought that it must not comply because of the spin accidents but unable to identify any specific issues with the test reports. Then we got some independent flight tests of an in-service aeroplane with questions as to the conformity of the particular aeroplane and conduct of the tests. All a little murky as to who authorised these tests. Certainly not CASA. I did a W&B calculation from the data in the manual. Two people at 90 kg each right on the aft limit. Then there was another airworthiness alert! The crew moment arm in the manual was incorrect. W&B section of the manual was rewritten to make comparisons difficult. The same two 90 kg people now put the CG way way behind the aft limit! Aeroplanes were reweighed and ballast added firewall forward to move the empty CG forward. Moving the CG forward has a beneficial effect on handling characteristics, especially stalling and spinning. All the issues seemed to disappear overnight. No more said that I am aware of. The whole saga certainly showed the incompetence of some at the factory, RAA and CASA. Some at the regulatory authority especially were out of their depth.

Thank you, this offer is open to everyone, even just to drop in and say hi or stretch you legs if passing by. We are hoping to build some type of small accommodation in the near future for overnight stays and possibly provide some self cook/heat meals.

Not sure what this has to do with Chinese aviation. But there is a simple truth about Ukraine, no matter what news source you look at- ruzzia invaded Ukraine. If they just go home, the war can stop. That's the truth.

There are many types of retract mechanisms and safetysystems, none are fool proof. The main benefit of RG in low horse power aircraft is to provide work for LAMEs.

I think this pilots decision to fly over water just to avoid having to re fuel at forrest is very silly. Tracking coastal would only add 13 minutes @134tas to the Ceduna-Esperence leg. If the fuel is that tight you need to go to Forrest anyway. Ending up in the water in a canopy aircraft like a DA40, RV or Bristell etc is a no for me. Fair chance the aircraft will be inverted, the canopy is not going to open due water pressure if it hasn't been broken. Not a good way to go. Plan for lower terrain, weather, water, simples.

Skippy, you undersell yourself. You have an RA aircraft and are a frugal RA pilot motivated in seeing the vast expanse of our country. Of course we are interested in your planned trip - it’s exactly why many of us own and fly RA aircraft and we aspire to do the same.

I've seen a conveyor belt on a gold mine jammed and stopped in its tracks, and when the jamming was investigated, it was found a 42 ounce nugget had jammed the belt! I've also seen a prospector roll up to the Kalgoorlie Battery with a wheelbarrow load of specimen quartz, that had chunks of visible gold in every piece of rock one picked up. The load of stone was too rich to put through the Battery stamps, so the Battery crushed it in the Berdan (bur-dan) Pan in the Battery. The wheelbarrow load yielded around 250 ounces of gold!

I have a strip on my farm, 10 mile to the NW of Katanning WA (OZMCA on Ozrunways). If needed, i can offer ULP95 and a vehicle to drive to Katanning for accommodation. My neighbor has a bed and breakfast which can be booked if available. Happy to help with anything else you may need on your journey. BTW, I did the Nullabor a couple of years ago with Will Owen when i purchase my Sportstar, he is currently in the UK.

2 previous owners, full(ish) maintenance records. It has not had the 500 hrs bolts done in the 1100(ish) hours it has flown. The black, rubber bushing on the inboard end were falling apart (hence the clunk that alerted me). There is a number of things that have me going WTF on this plane, it has a transponder that is not run through the avionics switch, just the main switch, the transponder and radio are sitting in a timber panel that is siliconed, screwed and pop riveted to the panel. The cover of the elevator horn and trim command was held on with machine screws into the threaded inserts, wood screws, plasterboard screws and builders adhesive. I had to cut if off the plane once all the screws were out. I has been sitting outside on the hardstand on a coastal airport for a few years, it has pumpkin head cover the windows etc are good but anything that is not stainless, non-ferros or composite has a patina on it. I will be doing a full fastener replacement and bolt inspection later this year. We pulled the control surface bolts for the annual earlier this year and they are all good, no sholders etc just discoloured by salt spray. It's a 2011 factory build 160, with the dual brake calipers. It does need (and I have them) the disk replaced as they are are a pitted nightmare due to the salt exposure, but they still work. I am going to referbish the whole brake, axle, wheel, tyre, spat assembly. PureCaboose

From the Aeroprakt factory: Dear Aeroprakt aircraft owners, We have encountered a problem with the durability of the windshields on the A22 and A32 aircraft. Until the beginning of 2022, we installed 2 mm thick PETG glass and 3 mm thick acrylic glass on the above-mentioned models, the material of which turned out to be short-lived and sensitive to cracking, which led to three cases of windshield failure this year, which fortunately did not lead to fatal consequences. In the coming days, we will issue a safety bulletin, where we will describe the need for mandatory replacement of windshields and the serial numbers of the aircraft affected by this bulletin. Vne will be temporarily limited to 140 km/h (75 knots) until the windshield is replaced. Aircraft with a production date after January 22, on which windshields made of the new material are installed and on which the windshield was replaced after this date, do not have such problems and the speed limit does not apply to them. For our part, we will try to provide our dealers with new windshields as soon as possible. Best regards, Aeroprakt team

Maybe you can't. I'm not saying don't keep a list, just telling you what works for me. I don't know what constant broadcasts you are referring to. Most people seem to do what was taught years ago, which is: - inbound - taxying - rolling i.e. takeoff - joining the circuit - turning base, with intentions. Plus, often: - downwind, which was added as a local recommendation when the airfield got very busy and there were multiple conflicts between aircraft in the circuit and trying to join. That doesn't seem like constant broadcasts. Without those calls, where exactly do you get your list of traffic?

Latest issue of Sport Pilot has a QR code linking to a Survey as to what should be done with Sport Pilot moving forward. As someone who rarely finds more than one article worth reading per issue it was good to be able to give some feedback

A type of radio failure that has happened in our ctaf is pilot headset plugged into the copilot Jack's, radio appears to work but no voice is transmitted. This was two different aircraft with all the Jack's between and or partly behind the seats.

There actually are standard words for this, depending on whether you’re talking military, aviation, or general radio procedure. The typical format is a two-part assessment: Strength (how loud the signal is) Readability (how clear the speech is) 1. Signal Strength (first word) Loud – very strong signal Good – strong, but not excessive Weak – signal is faint Very weak – barely readable Fading – signal strength varies 2. Readability (second word) Clear – perfectly understandable Readable – understandable without difficulty Unreadable – cannot be understood Distorted – signal warped, hard to understand With interference / noisy – background noise present but copyable Broken – speech cutting in and out So, examples you’ll hear are: “Loud and clear” (the gold standard) “Weak but readable” “Good but with interference” “Unreadable” Aviation / military shorthand In NATO and ICAO radiotelephony, there’s also the “Readability Scale” (1–5): 1 – Unreadable 2 – Readable now and then 3 – Readable with difficulty 4 – Readable 5 – Perfectly readable So a pilot might just say “Read you five” instead of “Loud and clear.”

This is an interesting exercise by Air NZ, they've built the Southern Hemisphere's biggest hangar, 98 metres wide - capable of taking a B777, a B787, or two A320/321's, side by side - and it's almost entirely made of timber. The hangar frame is constructed from Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) and Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) with minimal amounts of steel (just steel baseplates, and a steel frame to support the massive wooden door), and the roof is clad with ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) cushions (or pillows) that are inflated at a low pressure. This unique structure has the major advantage of being able to flex up to 300mm so it can cope with seismic events (and high wind forces, too, I guess). I'm guessing termites pose no problem in NZ! I find it interesting that no construction cost has been mentioned in the article, and especially no comparison to the cost of a steel-frame and steel-clad structure. I would imagine that a lower cost differential for the wooden frame - if any - would come back to the fact that NZ has enormous supplies of timber, which would quite likely be much lower cost than imported steel. However, I did note that the CLT came from Australia! I find that a bit surprising, but it may be, that NZ doesn't have the necessary manufacturing facilities for CLT yet. The interest part about CLT and LVL is that they're both a lot more fire resistant than regular timber. The glues used in them don't support combustion, and the two products resist fire taking hold because of their design, and they only char on the outside, when set on fire. Air NZ's Record-Breaking Timber Hangar is Ready to Take Full Flight WOODCENTRAL.COM.AU Air New Zealand's Hangar 4 has reached a major milestone following the installation of its 27-metre-high and 80-metre-wide hangar door. Engineered by Finnish ma ETFE Material Guide | Building Materials for Modern Design FABRITECTURE.COM Learn about ETFE material, its uses, benefits, and applications in modern building design. Discover why ETFE is a top choice for sustainable architecture projects.

Ok, now I've got to watch it..... 🙂

It will be interesting to see how well the RV-15 sells. It should do well, but either way it's a good indication that Vans are recovering from their Covid era problems and looking to the future. They make good aircraft and have a solid reputation, and it would be a sad day if they folded.

I reckon a report from Skippy on his flight from the Oaks to Serpentine would make a great read.

That first guy in the video looked like the 2024 Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling champion.

Pretty hard to do that in Cue in a short period of time. All the big gold was taken many years ago but we can still find tiny pieces with the metal detector. Most people are just happy to go home with a bit of colour because it's not easy to find anywhere. These are from our trip away in May, enough to pay for the trip but it's found on our lease a long way from here. We have plenty of gold in Cue but it's deep, beyond my reach.

#1 problem that I see is that advanced capitalism has shifted attention from material production to financial scams. By this I mean that corporate profits are distributed largely to proprietors instead of investing in productivity. We're all aware of share buy backs and bonus dividends which favour mainly directors and big shareholders. These result in 60% or more of profits being diverted to non productive capital accumulation. I believe that China returns up to 90% into capital spending ie. Research and development. Advantage of controlled economies.

Thanks everyone my L2 removed the sprung legs and re-drilled and reamed new bolt holes at the top centre connection point to bring the wheels back to upright. Ready for test flight just waiting for registration certification..

It all comes back to the fact that when you're a multi-millionaire, and looking for investments with your spare millions - that offer a high ROI - it's easier to invest in property (any property - even farm values have gone ballistic), or into a highly profitable mining venture, to gain rapid and substantial monetary returns, than it is to invest in manufacturing, with its red tape, labour and skills problems, and difficulties with marketing and sales. You don't see Gina Rinehart and Clive Palmer investing in manufacturing. They put their money back into the easy rewards investments - which all have major tax advantages, as well. I would blame a poorly-constructed tax system for part of the problem, which has left us with a major property bubble, and a country full of great big holes, which only return their investment once, and which then leave future problems to the upcoming generations. Even our energy supplies have never been addressed properly - but at least Labor is assisting in weaning us off fossil fuels, unlike the other mob, who want us to "keep drillin' baby!" - and to keep those "rolling coal" exhausts spewing out black smoke. Cheap energy supplies will assist manufacturing industries, but the manufacturing industries must be innovative, to keep ahead of the Chinese, who play the long game.

Cheap labour might not matter too much but you need a demand for high volume production. That's the main problem with producing anything in Australia, without an established export market there are not enough consumers of most items to make manufacturing viable.

I did it in a sportstar once, sounded distant and tower could only hear me from other headset mike. ok once i worked out what happened. they are behind the seats also.

A friend of mine experienced a windscreen failure of a A32 Vixxen just after takeoff at Shuteharbour airstrip a few years back. He was not the PIC at the time but soon took command due to his experience. He has viewed the video as I told him about it and he is not a member and gave permission to post his account. He advises that they couldn't talk to each other because thier headsets were gone down the back ... inside fortunately, but way out of reach. His GoPro went with them. The Windscreen both sides was gone - fortunately without carving them up. After the initial shock, it became clear they would survive. Controls were ok. The big bang occurred just after takeoff 14. So there we were - 500 feet, 5600 rpm, 70kt ias. The vis was good but they had to return the long way left circuit around Pioneer Point. Both doors were doing their best to open, but didn't. That was one of his biggest concerns actually because he did not know how open doors would affect IAS. They had lifejackets on, but not a great place to go swimming. He had to watch the doors venting 70kts of airflow through gaps all the way around the longest circuit I ever flew. To avoid traffic, we hugged the coastline all the way back to a very short final 14. The air was full of Cessna Caravans (tour operators) but we could not communicate with anybody. My eyeballs were working overtime. After landing the local mechanic greeted us with "wow, and he thought that was the cleanest windscreen I'd ever seen". Hah, anyway all's well that ends well ... and something to chat about over a beer in the bar.

Okay, probably a bit (lot)verbose. But typed up for a friend after we got home last year. We carry life jackets as fly over Bass Strait a couple of times a year. Used them Aldinga to Port Pirie, and for a fairly brief low level flight along the Bunda Cliffs. As before we use a Zoleo. Love it! Lets me message a couple of reliable friends with my flight plan, fuel, pax, ETA's etc. They can track me. I can send alerts, or actual messages. I used to use a SPOT tracker but upgraded to the Zoleo awhile back as it lets me send/receive more info. ie. I've broken a nose wheel (never happened), rather than pressing an emergency button and not being able to say what the emergency is. 8/2/2024 Departed and refuelled Warracknabeal. Need to ring day prior. Easy as. Warracknabeal – Aldinga. Had arranged hangarage $15 per night. Cafe at airport is good, but not open all day. Stayed with friends for a few nights Aldinga to Tumby Bay. Stayed with friends 2 nights. Had planned 1 but wx at Ceduna meant we stayed over. Drove around Port Lincoln & Coffin Bay. Oysters in vending machines! Tumby Bay to Ceduna. 2 nights because we wanted to do the Smoky Bay Oyster Farm Tour. Hire car pre-arranged to pick up cat at Ceduna. Local has tie downs & a phone call meant we could use these rather than put stakes in in the heat. Much appreciated. Oyster Farm Tour was awesome. Ceduna to Nullarbor – refuel and lunch. Then onto Caiguna for the night. Rang both first to check runways okay and fuel available. Caiguna to Myrup. Met friends and got lift into town. Really hard to find accommodation. Friends dropped us back at plane the next morning. Flew to Esperance & refuelled. Then onto Albany. Had planned to spend a couple of days at Albany but weather was in 42 degrees there, and 49 degrees at Jurien Bay where we were heading. Hung about sight seeing for 5 nights till the temperature was in the high 30s at Albany and around 43 at Jurien Bay. Departed IFR due low cloud for a refuel at Northam, then on to Jurien Bay VFR. Had pre-arranged fuel & hangarage at Jurien Bay. Hangar really appreciated as it was HOT. Sent a week with family. Pinnacles worth seeing and flying over. Then back via Northam to Albany where other friends were picking us up for a few days. Left plane tied down on the Apron. Stayed at Nornalup/Walpole. Absolutely beautiful area. Different to everywhere else we’d been this trip, more like being back in East Gippsland. The WoW boat tour is a must. Best of its kind we’ve been on. Informative and fun. https://wowwilderness.com.au/ecocruises/ Then tried online & on phone to get Esperance accommodation for the trip home. One BnB 18 kms out of town had a room for $800. That was it. Helfpul lady from the information centre said almost impossible, nil vacancy rate September through to May. Also told me taxi from Esperance to Airport would be over a $100 each way. Hmm. Flew to Esperance, refuelled and headed to Kalgoorlie. Great accommodation in modern hotel. Large clean room $110 and short cheap taxi ride to and from the airport. Had originally planned Esperance – Caiguna -Forrest. But it had started raining at Caiguna and we were advised we may get in, but unlikely to get out so …. Departed IFR next morning for Forrest. Low clouds for about 20 minutes then cleared. We’d prearranged accommodation ages ago. Definitely worth a night there. Flew on to Ceduna the next morning. Luckily we left early as front came through and Forrest was isolated for a couple of weeks with heavy rain. Arrived in Ceduna. Refuelled. Had to put stakes in the ground, and it was really hot out there. Marty gave us a lift to the Motel. Motel dropped us back the next morning. Flew Ceduna to Port Pirie. I’d decided tie down cables/points were essential in the heat and Port Pirie has them! Even better when I rang to check the ARO said he’d meet us there and we could put the plane in the hangar over night. He then dropped us off to a motel. Good place to visit! Next day flew Port Pirie to home, via refuelling at Swan Hill

I’ve made up a diagram to make it simple. And…. I’m going to make contact with CASA to discuss. If anyone has a good contact within CASA I’d appreciate a PM Note… if I’m conducting circuits at an airport with a particular call such as base only I’ll just call my base because that is what is expected. I’ll call downwind if incoming aircraft. I’ll call final if I have a suspicion the taxiing aircraft that’s at runway departure might want to sneak out. I’ll call final if I’ve joined behind another aircraft that might be worried I’m too close so they can relax and concentrate on their landing. Rare occasions and subject to the number of calls I’m hearing in circuit. But…. If CASA had a recommended downwind call as single call it would make everyone’s life easier. Schools would become consistent. Calls around Australia would be more predictable when coming in to an unknown airfield. I started this thread with a degree of uncertainty due to my limited flying experience and some difficult encounters with a few indivividuals….. well… one individual. I’m now very certain. Some 750 hours flying in 2 countries and 7 years. The current radio call procedures are at some point going to cause some of us so,e really near misses or worse.

Thread drift I know but hey. I drove up to the gate at Serpentine WA and rang a committe member whose number was on the gate. I was made enormously welcome with about a 1 1/2 hour intro through the hangars/members who were present. I came away with the most positive impression I have had from any flying fraternity and trust me I have visited dozens in many countries.

Just to show what I'm getting at, and to show China isn't just 'little people who are good with their hands and copying small industrial things', their first atomic weapon tests were in 1964. Their first rocket into space was in 1970. This is especially important because you have to be pretty first rate with your metallurgy. For instance, large liquid fuel rockets have a power take off in the form of a turbo. You aren't just going down to the wreckers and pulling one of those off an RX7. And then theres this. First tests of their lunar lander.

People who visit Chinese Factories are simply "in AWE" of what they see. Us Infrastructure is out dated and in dis repair. Lack of Investment and research. Port Facilities and road and rail. USA still make SOME good stuff but Gov't Interference and chaos won't be the solution. "Hewson We have a Problem". The Bloke at the Helm has a screw loose. He's not POTUS Material. and thinks He Da KING. Nev

an ex CASA guy, I'm reliably told. Many years ago (30?) a Taylor Monoplane went MIA from Barwon Heads on a flight to Latrobe Valley (maybe?) He was found the next day, alive, trapped in the wreckage in the saltbush about 2 miles east of Barwon Heads. Didn't get far.

Think the issue would be one person business and he has been in the states for Oshkosh.

Heater kit arrived today, need to find time to fit it next week.

I'd say that fixating on any one thing can be dangerous in aviation (even more so on the road). But that'd include fixating on the front window if the threat is not to be seen out there. While driving we instinctively combine info from all three mirrors and the view out-front to get the situational awareness we need. Maybe we need to develop that kind of instinct in the air to divide our attention between screen and windscreen.

Welcome to Aircraft Pilots .com There are few little things that need tidying up which requires 3rd party updates but these will automatically happen when they update their files

Bolts replaced, new brake disks installed and taxi runs done. Trying to get the balance between too much space between the disks and pads and too much travel in the brake lever. I just need to araldite in the screw in fittings for the fairings and it will be good for a flight test (and I can get back to flying).

Was it ApplePay that caused the additional surcharge, or did the iPad take you renew via the AppleStore (without actually taking you to the store)? If I recall, OzRunways used to say to renew through their website, not via Apple’s update because Apple add a hefty premium (which is subject to current litigation over monopoly control and restrain of trade, I believe).

You can fix Google Maps by right clicking on a road and select "report a data problem". You then get a number of choices set by Google to alter the map information. You can advise them a section of road is closed.

As a general statement, RADIOs and procedures could be Much Improved. You need situational awareness, Training and self discipline to make it work. Visual CONFIRMATION is still the priority.. Nev

Give Esperance airport a miss and land at Myrup. Friendly locals will probably give you a ride into town and the caravan park cabin rates are quite reasonable. 95/98 ULP at the servos in town so take your fuel bladders with you.