Admin

Hi All

Looking at our hosting, its costs and the resources that we have available with it I had an idea...

As a free offer to any company, aircraft agent/distributor etc that would like to take out advertising here on Recreational Flying, the most popular recreational aviation site here in Australia, I can offer you FREE web site hosting and email services on our server.

So not only do you get 24hrs a day, 7 days a week exposure to the aviation world, be seen by thousands of visitors every single day, get picked up by Google search, be considered as being a supporter of Recreational Flying, be able to converse with thousands of potential customers, have a dedicated forum available for you, and much much more...but you also get to save all the costs of your web site and email hosting as well. I hope that becomes a win-win for both you, Recreational Flying and all the thousands of users here on the site. This site IS the biggest "live" community of recreational aviation in Australia and there is no better way to get your message across to thousands of aviators "instantly".

The 2nd FREE offer...as a way of Recreational Flying helping flying clubs out there, I can also extend this offer of free hosting and email to Flying Clubs as well in return of simply adding a link to Recreational Flying on your club web site and promoting the site to your club members. We are also setting up a dedicated Club/School section on the site as well which should also compliment your club/school exposure.

Naturally these offers are subject to capacity and demand so it is first come first served with priority given to advertisers

We have done this to ourselves...the entertainment of yesteryear has been killed off by the do-gooders and the insurance companies leaving us to sit in our lounge rooms simply watching TV...or on our computers watching videos like this...is it progress?

Hi All

I have managed to get the Recreational Flying Chat Room up and running...well, sort of...we were using v9.3 before so in getting it going again I have also updated it to v9.6 which has a few extras.

There is still a lot of fine tuning it to get it back to way it was so at the moment I have turned off the Video Chat and the Whiteboard functions, I have to update it with our logo and more however it is ok to start using it again.

So jump in there and have a chat in a social environment with other, dare I say, like minded individuals...there use to be some very interesting chats going on in there at times, and have fun!

I will get it back up to 100% in the next day or so

How about something like this...

When clicking on the Aircraft menu tab item you see this:

http://www.recreationalflying.com/categories/recreational-flying-aircraft.154/

Click on an Aircraft Category you see this:

http://www.recreationalflying.com/libraries/recreational-3-axis.155/

Clicking on an Aircraft within the category you see a single page with info about the Aircraft PLUS a tab across the top for discussion...the Discussion is actually a thread within a forum. As an example you can go to the forum thread and see the discussion on the Aircraft PLUS the details about the Aircraft...see the thread here:

http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/jabiru-j230.43020/

NOTE...ALL of the above is still work in progress and will be deleted as it is used just as an example.

I have often thought that a comprehensive suppository of information is what's missing on this site.Pud

The current Aircraft Section seems to be to complicated for users to add aircraft into the list so I am looking at redoing it.

What are your thoughts on what you would like to get from it, what would you like to use it for, for what reasons would you go to an Aircraft Section etc etc etc.

This will give me some guidance on how best to create a dedicated Aircraft Resource Section for you and what it will contain that will assist you.

Your thoughts are appreciated

OK who's the show off with more than 10,000?

There should be a spell checker with your internet browser...when you type something and a red line appears under a word it means the spelling is incorrect

We have a very broad range of aviators here on Recreational Flying...from those that are enthusiasts and one day may start flying right up to retired commercial airline pilots with thousands of hours in their logbook.

So with this poll, let's see the vast range that we have here in terms of the number of hours in your log book.

For everyone using Firefox as their Internet Browser...The issue I have been having and as reported in this thread is a common problem being experienced by many users out there. It has been caused by Firefox v13.0.1 not working properly with Adobe Flash Player v11.3...the two just don't seem to get along with each other. Apparently both Mozilla and Adobe are working together to fix the issue.

However, and in the mean time, if you want to get back to non-frustrating browsing using Firefox, you will need to remove the latest version of Flash Player and re-install the previous version. To do this:

1. Download Flash Player v11.2 from:

- for standard windows 32 bit operating system: http://www.filehippo.com/download_flashplayer_firefox/12261/

- for 64 bit windows operating system: http://www.filehorse.com/download-flashplayer-firefox-64/10474/

2. Go to your Control Panel -> Programs and Features

3. Uninstall Adobe Flash Player 11 Plugin

4. Install Flash Player v11.3 that you downloaded in step 1

That should fix the issue until Mozilla and Adobe can get their problem sorted out...hope this helps!

Do they get travel allowance and if so how much per klm?

Did you see how many laptops they have running the whole darn thing...every where he went there were laptops

can't open the link. Nev

Can we re-activate the chat site Ian....that always worked well. We are loosing valuable contributors to the site by chopping and changing all the time...............many have simply gone to utube or facebook for their daily hit, and it is our loss on this site..............................Cheers Ross

As far as changes go I can now guarantee that the site will remain at Recreational Flying .com.au, be known as Recreational Flying and be completely Australian focused. However, I also realise, and have seen over the last 8 years, people will come and go and most of those that you think have gone still come here on a very regular basis anyway, except they don't want you to think they do, don't know why but people are funny.

Another silly thing is that even when the site was called Aircraft Pilots, you could still go to Recreational Flying (.com.au) and the same site would appear so in essence the only thing that has changed is the name in the header and that the site will be Australian focused which can only be a good thing for all those, as you put it, Facebook users that don't have all the features we have here.

The site has now come full circle back to what it was before I became ill so just give it time and let everyone know that it is back, there are no bans in place, there are site rules, around 7,000 registered users, 25,000 threads and coming up to 200,000 posts, all of which can contain valuable information that may help them to stay safe as the site is a large repository of helpful information gained by the exchange of everyone's experiences from flying...plus some great friendships as well

Here is an interesting poll..."Is your partner interested in aviation?"

Often more then not flying becomes an interest of a person and their partner seems to put up with the new found interest of their partner. However, I wonder to what degree does the interest rub off on to the partner and they too become an interested participant in their partners flying endeavours.

Ian, What happened to the one-on-one chat feature ???....the box in the lower right corner doesn't pop up anymore.....................Thanks Maj...

Hi All

I have just added 2 new pilot resources to the Resources Section:

1. Common ATC Phrases
    
    
   
2. List of Aviation Terms
    
    
   

You can access these by clicking on the "Resources" tab of the main menu and then either one from the sub menu either under the main menu or from the Resources page

I am also in the middle of creating a whole lot of calculators for the Pilot Resources Section for site members to freely use along with the other great FREE resources we have here on Recreational Flying for you.

John Brandon has just updated his "Recent RA-Aus fatal accident history" figures in his tutorials here on Recreational Flying which makes for some very interesting reading, especially noting the 4 deaths in the first 4 months of this year:

http://www.recreationalflying.com/tutorials/safety/intro2.html

CASA has put in place a new simplified and streamlined medical certificate system for pilots who operate aircraft for private purposes. It means pilots who qualify to use the new system can obtain their medical certificate from any general practitioner, instead of having to visit a designated aviation medical examiner and apply for a class 2 medical. For many pilots this will reduce the time and cost of obtaining a medical certificate. The new system is open to all CASA licensed pilots who operate aircraft in a private or recreational capacity, subject to a number of important safety restrictions.

The new medical standards for private and recreational operations are based on the Austroads Inc unconditional motor vehicle driving licence standard, with a range of aviation specific additional requirements. These additional medical requirements cover areas such as cancer, heart failure, head injuries, epilepsy and musculoskeletal disorders that can pose a safety risk in aviation. The new medical certificate for CASA licensed pilots restricts holders to flying single engine piston aircraft of up to 1500 kg maximum take-off weight. Pilots must operate at less than 10,000 feet AMSL in day visual metrological conditions, with only one informed and consenting passenger on board, and no aerobatic flight permitted. If a control seat is occupied by an appropriately licensed pilot with a current class 1 or 2 medical certificate the restrictions on passenger numbers, aerobatics and altitude do not apply. Pilots using the new medical will have access to controlled airspace.

Once a pilot successfully obtains a drivers licence (DL) medical certificate (aviation) from a general practitioner they must e-register on CASA’s website, agree to be bound by the conditions and limitations of the CASA instrument EX68/12 and receive an electronic acknowledgement from CASA. Pilots under 65 years must renew and re-register their certificate every two years, while those over 65 will need to do this every 12 months. There is no fee attached to the registration of the certificate. Pilots are required to carry the medical certificate and the CASA acknowledgement of registration when flying and produce them to CASA inspectors as if they were a class 2 medical certificate.

It is hoped that many pilots find the new DL medical certificate (aviation) an easier way to obtain and maintain their medical clearance to fly. Having robust medical standards is a key element of aviation safety and this initiative ensures safety standards remain high while making the system simpler.

FAQs and information on how to register for the driver’s licence medical (aviation) can be found on the CASA website. http://www.casa.gov.au/scripts/nc.dll?WCMS:STANDARD::pc=PC_100908

The GA Task Force can be contacted by email at [email protected] or by phone on 131 757.

Yours sincerely

Peter John

Manager

General Aviation Task Force

Coping with significant crosswind

During the initial stages of the ground roll in any type of take-off with a significant crosswind component, the aircraft will tend to weathercock into wind and pivot around the main wheels. There are lateral stresses on all wheels in contact with the ground during the roll. The lateral control of the aircraft is then very much dependent on adequate tyre contact with the surface, so if the surface is slippery a crosswind take-off may not be advisable. As the aircraft accelerates, the relative wind velocity (combining the ambient wind velocity, the aircraft's own forward speed and the slipstream velocity) over the tailplane surfaces will have an increasing headwind component and a (relatively) decreasing crosswind component. Thus, it is normal to start the ground roll with a large rudder deflection to counter weathercocking, and decrease the deflection as speed builds.

It is usually advisable to also raise the into-wind aileron to prevent the into-wind wing from rising, particularly if gust-induced; the inclined lift vector, because of the rising wing, will tend to turn the aircraft away from the wind. Be aware that if the into-wind aileron is raised while you are countering the weathercocking with rudder, then you must be operating cross-controlled, which will cause the aircraft to sideslip into wind if you should get airborne in that condition.

The aileron deflection is decreased as speed builds, but in strong crosswinds it may be advisable to lower the into-wind wing so that the aircraft is rolling just on the into-wind main wheel. The lift vector is then inclined from the vertical and has a lateral component that counteracts the effect of the crosswind; the aircraft line of roll is kept straight by the friction of that into-wind wheel. If the angle is correctly judged, there should be no stress on the wheel. As the aircraft is being lifted off, return the ailerons to neutral and level the wings.

To provide an additional safety margin, hold the aircraft on the ground for a higher-than-normal lift-off speed. If conditions are gusty, add 50% of the wind gust speed in excess of the mean wind speed; e.g. if wind speed is 10 knots gusting to 20 knots, add 5 knots to the lift-off airspeed. If the aircraft does become prematurely airborne for any reason then, rather than let the wheels bump down again, hold the aircraft off the ground, accelerate in ground effect and use the soft field take-off technique.

After becoming airborne, the aircraft will drift away from the heading, so to mark a tidy and controlled departure, gently turn the aircraft onto a new heading to compensate for the drift and the 'track made good' will follow the extended line of the ground roll — at least until the aircraft reaches 500 feet agl, at which height regulations allow a turn in the circuit direction.

It can be that the crosswind either amplifies or reduces the slipstream and other effects. It may be wise to consider taking off in a direction that takes advantage of that counter-effect even if it means taking off with a tailwind component. Also, there is no rule that says you must always take-off aligned with the centre of the runway or strip; if crosswind conditions warrant it, plan your ground roll at an angle across the strip — edge to edge.

If someone wants to get a whole range of general avatars together, 200px x 200px in size, then I will make it so users can select from a list of those avatars to use if they like...need a range of different types of aircraft and even some funny ones if appropriate. get them together and email them to me.