Admin

Hey Ian, some avatars are interesting, and I would really like to be able to click on them get a much bigger picture to have a better look.Of course, we would have to upload a higher resolution version of our avatar. A mark of somekind should indicate one is available.

Jack.

However they are scaled down to 100 x 100 for display in the forums but they will be displayed at 200 x 200 in the user's profile page if the user has uploaded a larger avatar. For example if you go to my profile page you will see my avatar which is 200 x 200 displayed.

Yes, but more control to be able to turn to the left a little

Thank you to everyone that voted in the poll and posted your comments...it has helped a great deal in ascertaining what you want from your site.

I have to admit even though Aircraft Pilots was my choice, Recreational Flying has always had sentimental value, especially with the Australian extension of .com.au.

Now we just need to put all this behind us and get on with making Recreational Flying (.com.au) the great Australian recreational aviation community that it has always been (I promise to behave myself now )

Please be advised that the Site Rules have been updated.

The changes are:

1. All references to "Aircraft Pilots" have been replaced with "Recreational Flying"

Hi All

As a result of a recent poll, it was very clear that you prefer the site to go back home to Recreational Flying.

Over the last 6 months we have tried to create a more global and broad focus by having a more generic name of Aircraft Pilots, however the poll has clearly indicated that it was not the desired name that you, the users, wanted for this great resource. As much as I apologise for the inconvenience of this I do believe that it is better to have tried and failed, then to never have tried at all. My actions have, and always will be, to always do what I can to improve the site for you to continue benefiting from it at all times.

Anyway, the site will now be known back as it once was with the name of Recreational Flying and at the Recreational Flying Australian web address of www.recreationalflying.com. The Aircraft Pilots name and address, along with all other web addresses will be pointed directly to www.recreationalflying.com so no matter what address you go to on the web, you will be automatically redirected to Recreational Flying (.com.au).

The only impact is for those that are automatically logged in when visiting this site. Those users will have to log in again on Recreational Flying using their normal Username and Password.

If you have forgotten your Password, you can use the "Forgotten Password" feature by simply going to:

http://www.recreationalflying.com/lost-password/

Enter either your Username or Email Address and you will receive an email advising you about your password...NOTE, your email address needs to be the same as what the site has listed for you.

IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES, ANY ISSUES AT ALL, PLEASE RING ME ON 03 9444-8025 AND I WILL QUICKLY FIX IT UP FOR YOU

This site, the Recreational Flying web site is the original and not just "one" of the most popular recreational aviation enthusiasts sites but "THE" most popular recreational aviation enthusiasts web site in the Southern Hemisphere so beware of imitations and those copying us and make this site your true HOME of Recreational Flying, Pilots and Aviation Enthusiasts

Hi All

I have just updated the site with some small changes.

The first one is an update to the Mobile Style which has two small changes:

1. The bug where you are taken to the top of a page instead of the newest post has now been fixed

2. The little sub menu to the right of the header where the site name is located, now has links to all the other areas of the site in it...tap the little box and the drop down list appears:

(note: image above is taken from my PC and not my phone)

The 2nd update is the inclusion of the side column that has your user box, users online etc, on many of the other site pages like:

About Us

Advertise here

Each of the Resource Pages etc

Unless something drastic happens, it looks very clearly that we will be going back "home" to Recreational Flying (.com.au)...boy, do I have some apologising to do :peepwall:

With all these names being bandied about, here is the investment I have made for the site over the years on both Recreational Flying and Aircraft Pilots in terms of domain name registrations:

recreationalflying.com

recreationalflying.net

recreationalflying.com

recreationalflying.ca

recreationalflying.co.nz

recreationalflying.co.za

recreationalflying.co.uk

recreationalflying.us

recreationalflying.org

recreationalflying.net.au

recreationalflying.co

recflying.com.au

recfly.com.au

clearprop.com.au

recreationalflying.com

aircraftpilots.net

recreationalflying.com

aircraftpilots.net.au

aircraftpilots.co.nz

aircraftpilots.ca

aircraftpilots.co.uk

aircraftpilots.us

aircraftpilot.net

aircraftpilot.com.au

aircraftpilot.net.au

aircraftandpilot.com.au

aircraftandpilots.com

aircraftandpilots.com.au

Each one costing say around $25 a year although we will probably go back to the .com.au version of the name instead of .com. You can see the name RecFly in the Recreational Flying list...this was thought to be the name we could use for any flyins that we have...sort of keeps it in line with all the other flyins like NatFly, AusFly, RecFly etc (we are going to have another one of our flyins soon)

I upgraded (manually) this morning. No problems yet. Scrolling seems a lot faster but.

Ian, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

In an attempt to really hone down the cause, on Thursday I completely wiped my hard disk, reformatted it and installed windows etc again from scratch...it was due as I normally do it every 6 months or so anyway to clean it right out and keep it going as fast as possible without all the rubbish you collect over time. However even with this drastic move it is stilling doing it and it is getting very frustrating yet I can't find any mention of it on the web under Firefox issues (recent)

Ian, when will the poll be closed? [i think it is important that as many Forumites get to have a say in the [i]name change[/i] ...or the Aircraft Pilots status quo].Personally, I hope that it remains Aircraft Pilots. For my reasons, see post #9 above.

The issue now is timing...best to do any changes from Fri lunch time through to Sunday afternoon so do I wait nearly a week or depending on there being no great change to the voting ratio, do it tonight

I use Google Chrome and had a similar problem. Only on this website so the problem had to be here.

It is great that there are some very interesting and informative posts and please be assured that I will be abiding by the poll if there is a substantial difference, as it is looking at the moment, in what you want your site to be called and referred to.

I will note that if the poll shows a change back to Recreational Flying then it will be fairly painless for you in changing back:

1. Site will close for about 1hr whilst the files are moved across to the Recreational Flying domain (I will try and do that in the middle of the night)

2. I will redirect the Aircraft Pilots domain to automatically go to Recreational Flying so it won't matter which address you go to

3. The only impact is for those that are automatically logged in to the site when they visit it to simply log in to the site again using your username and password

4. At some time, at your convenience, you will need to update any links or shortcuts you use to go to the site from Aircraft Pilots to Recreational Flying

I like Pete's post when he says:

IMHO Recreational flying conjures up images of people enjoying themselves, camaraderie...a club with a common thread

Let's not forget there are also Boat Pilots.Alan.

Not sure if anyone else has noticed this but my copy of Firefox updated itself to v13.0.1 and since then I have had trouble with the scrolling of my mouse. It only happens in Firefox.

When I go to a page here or on other sites, not every time though, the mouse scroll doesn't work until I click the page...very frustrating. I have changed mice but still the same, used IE and no problem.

Not sure if anyone else is having this issue but if so can you please let me know

Sorry Ian, but I voted for Recreational Flyingrgmwa

Hi All

Since NatFly and due to the feedback I received at NatFly from many of you, I have been waiting for the right time to finalise the site name to either back to Recreational Flying or stay with Aircraft Pilots.

Yes, I personally prefer Aircraft Pilots and have held on to that for as long as I could however there has been some underlying pressure to completely move back to Recreational Flying. I personally think that things like Aircraft Pilots Chapter sounds better then Recreational Flying Chapter or headsets labelled Aircraft Pilots sounds and looks better then Recreational Flying...and on it goes. To me Aircraft Pilots is more professional, broad and much much better from an Internet Search Engine perspective (SEO). Aircraft Pilots is recognised all around the world for what we all are and no matter what we fly. We also have the interest of the new GA license that will soon be upon us which is a type of in-between of RAAus and full PPL.

Recreational Flying is a name that came about after the site had been going for its first year (it was previously Ultralight.net.au) and a list of names was thought up by you people and then put to a vote for you to choose. Amongst them all was Recreational Flying which ended up being the preferred choice of name by the then site users. The site was known for many many years as Recreational Flying and this term is really only recognised here in Australia simply by reference to RAAus. However, even though PPL pilots fly for recreation they don't like the association that Recreation has with RAAus. We have products that are still labelled Recreational Flying, flags already made up of Recreational Flying, business name registered as Recreational Flying...so the infrastructure is already in place and is what the site has always been known as.

So as you can see there are a lot of pros and cons to argue for either choice but at the end of the day this site is all about helping you by the exchange of experiences no matter what you fly in the hope that it can assist you in staying as safe as possible. So with this in mind you could even say "so what's in a name anyway?" and rightly so but it is also what will get as many users here as possible, enticing as many aviators to register and join in helping each other as possible etc etc etc and the name is the first thing they see and what they say to others that will help the site but then again the name is also what they feel most comfortable as belonging to.

So please, once and for all, like we did all those years ago when changing from Ultralight.net.au, what say you in the name you think will do best for the site and its future?

I didn't bother continuing on with my PPL as being blind in one eye it was costing me a mint in having to go to a DAME and then referred to an Eye Specialist, who then conducts extra tests as well, and then back to the DAME again...the stupid thing is I have been blind in that eye for the last 45 years so I know no different but they still want to get specialist opinion in case anything has changed since the last check

So true.Put an ad on here, I might even buy a copy

From the Director of Aviation Safety

John McCormick

I was very pleased recently to approve a major addition to the way we manage pilot medicals in Australia. After wide consultation and detailed analysis of the safety issues, 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 restricts CASA licensed pilots to flying single piston engine aircraft weighing less than 1500 kg maximum take-off weight. Pilots must operate at less than 10,000 feet above sea level in visual metrological conditions, with only one informed and consenting passenger on board. If a control seat is occupied by an appropriately licensed pilot with a current class 1 or 2 medical certificate these restrictions 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 it at CASA’s web site, agree to be bound by the conditions and limitations of the CASA instrument 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.

I hope 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.

More information will be available on the CASA web site once this initiative goes through the necessary machinery-of-government processes.

In this month's newsletter you will see an item about a short survey of readers we are currently running to make sure this newsletter serves your needs in the best possible way. Please take a minute to click on the link and complete the survey as we do need your views to make improvements.

Go to the CASA Briefing reader's survey.

Best regards

John F McCormick

Making it easier to comply with drug and alcohol rules

Small aviation organisations are now able to use a new simplified and streamlined process to comply with drug and alcohol management requirements. CASA has introduced the new processes for aviation organisations with seven or fewer employees engaged in safety sensitive activities. The new simplified processes do not apply to any aviation organisation engaged in or providing services to regular public transport operations. Aviation organisations eligible to take up the new drug and alcohol compliance processes will use a standard drug and alcohol management plan provided by CASA. Organisations will also use a CASA e-learning package to educate and train their employees on drug and alcohol responsibilities. CASA's Director of Aviation Safety, John McCormick, says the new drug and alcohol compliance processes for small organisations recognises that existing requirements can be unnecessarily onerous. Mr McCormick says: "We are making life easier for small aviation organisations by streamlining the process of drug and alcohol management while maintaining high safety standards. Small aviation organisations will no longer have to develop their own drug and alcohol management plans. By using CASA's new drug and alcohol management plan and new on-line training small aviation organisations will save time and resources and still be confident they are meeting all the regulatory requirements. CASA has listened to the concerns of the aviation industry about the impact of drug and alcohol management plans on small organisations and found a solution that is simpler, while protecting safety."

Find out more about the new drug and alcohol management processes.

We have the tools to fight fatigue

A wealth of information on fatigue management is now available for both individuals and aviation organisations. CASA has published an online fatigue management tool kit to assist education and training in this vital area of aviation safety. The took kit is made up of a training and development workbook for aviation workers, a handbook for people running courses on fatigue management, an assessment tool and a power point presentation. There is also a report which looks at factors to consider when aviation organisations select and use a biomathematical fatigue model. This report examines the capabilities of six fatigue models and is a good starting point for organisations setting up a fatigue management system.

The workbook for aviation workers covers a wide range of topics including the causes of fatigue, sleep needs, napping, food, hydration, caffeine and other stimulants, exercise and well being, social and family life, jet lag and the design of work schedules. The aim of the workbook is to give individuals the knowledge to develop skills to best manage fatigue. There are both theoretical and practical strategies set out in the workbook, with exercises to allow people to apply the information to their own situation. The handbook for people delivering fatigue management training provides tools and strategies for the preparation and delivery of face-to-face training of employees. A slideshow presentation is included.

Go to the fatigue management tool kit and learn more now.

New simulator rules will save lives

New requirements to conduct a range of pilot training and checking exercises in simulators will reduce the risk of aircraft training accidents, improve pilot training and lower aircraft wear and tear. That is the conclusion reached by CASA after analysing the impact of changes to the Civil Aviation Orders in relation to mandatory simulator training. Changes to the simulator requirements will come into effect on 1 April 2013, with air operators needing to get ready now for the new rules. The move to increase the use of simulators for pilot training and checking was driven by a serious incident and a fatal accident which took place during training exercises. A discussion paper on the issues relating to simulator training was issued in 2009 and a notice of proposed rule making in 2010. CASA has now published a notice of final ruling making, setting out comments made by the aviation industry on the 2010 proposals, as well as the final rules.

Under the new requirements conversion command training for pilots, as well as training and checking for pilots working for an air operator required to have a training and checking organisation, must be carried out in a simulator in clearly defined circumstances. Where training is being carried out for a multi-engine aeroplane with between 10 and 19 seats it must be conducted in an appropriate simulator if one is available in Australia. For training for aircraft with more than 20 passenger seats the training must be done in a simulator if one is available in Australia or a recognised foreign state. This same requirement applies to aeroplanes with a maximum take off weight of more than 8618 kilograms. The simulator provisions also apply to relevant helicopter operations.

Find out more about the new simulator training requirements.

Your chance to learn more about safety

Five special aviation information forums are being held during the second half of 2012. The forums are being run jointly by CASA, Airservices Australia, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the Bureau of Meteorology and the RAAF. These safety education forums are a chance to access a wide range of important information across a wide range of topics, with a special focus on human factors issues. The forums are being held in conjunction with major universities in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. With presentations from each aviation body involved, the forums will be all day events and a light lunch and refreshments will be provided. There is no charge and forums are open to everyone involved in aviation – not just university students and staff. The first forum is being held on Saturday 28 July at the Griffith University in Brisbane.

Please book your place for the Brisbane Access All Information Areas forum now.

In July 2012 there will be eight AvSafety seminars for pilots. The seminars will be held in NSW, the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria. The topics at each location will be human factors in aviation and aviation resources on the internet. CASA is urging all pilots to attend an AvSafety seminar in their area as it is a great chance to learn, discuss safety with colleagues and talk with CASA's aviation safety advisers. The seminars are free but everyone is asked to book online at the CASA web site.

Find the location of the July AvSafety seminars and book your place.

Retire your cables before they fail!

Advice on the replacement of stainless steel flight control cables more than 15 years old has been updated. CASA strongly recommends control cables with terminal fittings manufactured from stainless steel SAE-AISI 303Se be replaced before reaching 15 years time in service. This is because reports of breaks in the terminals due to stress corrosion cracking continue to be received in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. A failure of a flight control cable terminal can result in loss of control of an aircraft. The cracking which causes the terminal failures may not provide clear visual clues to the extent of the problem and can start from within the terminal. One formal investigation by the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority found cracking originated from inside a terminal. Even very small corrosion pits, cracks or rust deposits may indicate a terminal is close to failure. Periodic inspections to monitor pitting or rust are not adequate as the evidence is hard to detect and the rate of crack propagation difficult to predict. Aircraft owners, operators and maintainers are urged to review aircraft log books to establish which flight control cables have been replaced in the last 15 years and to retire all cables before they reach 15 years old.

Read the airworthiness bulletin on the retirement of flight control cables.

Keeping small kids safe in the air

The safety of infants and small children in aircraft is under review, with CASA setting up a project to explore the best ways of protecting these passengers. A discussion paper will be published to generate debate on current regulatory requirements, as well as developments in passenger safety. In addition, advisory material on infant and child safety will be updated and improved to provide guidance on child safety best practices and newly available restraints. In announcing the project CASA said the method of carrying infants and small children in aircraft has not changed substantially since the early years of aviation. However, there have been great advances in child safety in other forms of transport such as motor vehicles. Evidence from accidents and research says children who are carried on the lap of an adult passenger are likely to be more severely injured in an accident than other passengers. Other research says seating small children individually on an aircraft seat may not be appropriate. CASA has been working with Standards Australia on a revision that is being made to standards for motor vehicle child restraint systems to include provisions allowing for restraints to be used in aircraft. New standards would include testing of seats in an aircraft-like environment, restrictions on dimensions and instructions on how to fit seats in aircraft. This would allow restraints to be marked as acceptable for aircraft use.

Find out more about the infant and child safety project.

Albury steps an airspace hot spot

A review of airspace across south and south-eastern Australia found a large number of airspace infringements associated with the Albury control area steps. The review, conducted for CASA’s Office of Airspace Regulation, covered enroute, departure and arrival airspace from south of Sydney to Tasmania and west to Adelaide. It did not include the terminal airspace of eight aerodromes within the review area. The review found a high number of infringements relating to aircraft entering restricted areas such East Sale in Victoria and Marrangaroo in NSW. In total, during a two year period from July 2009, there were 197 airspace infringements in the airspace studied logged via Aviation Safety Incident Reports. The next highest number of incident reports (99) was for a failure to comply with air traffic instructions or procedures. The majority of these involve aircraft climbing or descending through cleared level (36), pilots not complying with route clearance (27), incorrect holding direction (9) and pilots not adhering to an ATC clearance requirement (5). An analysis of the data, as well as feedback from airspace users and other stakeholders, concluded the airspace classifications within the area reviewed are suitable. The analysis did find a concentration of airspace infringements related to the Albury control steps and the report recommends the findings be further reviewed by a proposed Airspace Infringement Task Force.

Read the south and south-east airspace review report.

We want your views on us now!

There is still time to have your say about this newsletter. We’re asking our readers to complete a small online survey to gather information about what you like or don’t like about the CASA Briefing newsletter. There are only five questions in the survey – so it will take less than a minute to complete. We’re asking how you rate the newsletter, the relevance of information, if you like the layout and if stories are too long, too short or just right. The survey was launched in the May edition of the CASA Briefing and closes on June 30, so please give us your views now. Results so far show 83 per cent of respondents rate the newsletter as excellent or good and 78 per cent say the information is very relevant or relevant.

Please fill in the CASA Briefing survey now.

how much time investment do you think this would require Ian?

OR

It could take many phone calls creating a relationship with a sponsor until they say they would like to come on board.

As far as ongoing it would depend on you and how much time you would want to devote to keeping the relationship going like a phone call every month or 2 to see how things are going etc.

You may also want to come up with other opportunities where both the site users and the sponsors would both benefit and then offer that service.

Here's my thing...I am not a salesman, I am an IT person and if you ask any IT person they would tell you the world would be a great place without people, we are left brain thinkers, logical and feel more in our comfort zone when with a keyboard and monitor so being able to create relationships with sponsors would be my weak point and thus I would not really know what time would be needed for say a right brain thinker to be successful at it...much like asking a professional salesman how much time would it take to set up the entire css of this site.

Another site that they can also be selling sponsor space would be in the Beauty Therapy Industry...talking to all those girls is a definite fringe benefit along with the 25% (if they want to do that site as well)

Hi All

This site costs a lot of time and money to run and to provide a great resource for you whilst at the same time enabling it to continually grow with more or improved features for you to use. It can't happen without the means of some form of income.

You will have noticed that we have taken on board some display advertisers which go a long way to assisting in the site's costs.

So I am after a person, who would like to on a spare time basis, act as a "salesperson/account manager" of not only this site but also others in obtaining advertisers/sponsors for them. The return to you is 25% of the income derived from the sponsors you can obtain.

The income to you is continual for as long as that sponsor continues to advertise on the sites thus once obtaining a sponsor, you continue to receive 25% commission potentially for years to come.

This site is not the only site that you will be obtaining sponsors for, there are other industries and sites that you can also derive income from as well.

A great part time opportunity that not only helps this site but perhaps helps pay for your flying endeavors as well.

Please contact me if you are interested...thanks

Product Reviews is something we could get into in due course...would need to have a person put their hand up to be an impartial reviewer and willing to write a review on products