Admin

Greg

In about a weeks time there will be a separate section for LAME's and Level 2's to list themselves for all site members to be able to access - please add your details to the database when the list becomes available.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RECREATIONAL FLYING (.com.au)

4 years old today (I thought it was 5) the domain name http://www.ultralight.net.au was first registered and this site was born - happy birthday to all site users

Amendment

Please note that this is an amendment to the first post in the thread:

January 13, 2009: Significant changes to ultralight operations at Avalon from January 11 until March 5

Effective January 11 the Office of Airspace Regulation (OAR) have placed a Temporary Restricted Area (TRA) around Avalon. This effectively means that between today and March 5, 2009 there will be a TRA the size of the Avalon airspace. We have been granted access to the TRA from OAR, however ultralights must have a mode A/C transponder and VHF radio to enter the class G area. The change is explained in an airspace briefing. Class C will also be activated at published times at Avalon, so it is not just as simple as switching the transponder on and flying through.

In addition pilots of Recreational Aircraft intending to visit Airshow 2009 are required to register by February 10, irrespective of whether they seek to use either Avalon Main or Avalon East.

RA-Aus aircraft movements are limited to specific times on nominated days, with arrivals early morning and departures late afternoon to avoid periods of peak traffic. Requests for Recreational Aircraft pilots to be granted permission to operate are to be lodged with the Airshow organizers no later than 10 February 2009.

The Airshow organizers will provide a consolidated list of all intending ultralight operations to CASA to obtain a “General Approval†for participants. Pilot and aircraft information required by CASA to consider an approval includes the following (which is to be provided separately to the Airshow organizers when requested to do so):

Pilots name

Details of licenses held

Aircraft type and registration markings

Aircraft equipment fit – radio/transponder

Intended arrival and departure dates and times Full information is available on the Airshow website at www.airshow.net.au/avalon2009/flying-in/register.asp

when can I come back in to the forum to play

January 14, 2009: The sad passing of Nancy-Bird Walton, AO, OBE

RA-Aus members were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of aviator Nancy-Bird Walton on Tuesday, January 13, 2009.

Her first flying lesson — at the age of seventeen — was conducted by Charles Kingsford-Smith. Nancy became the first female commercial pilot in the English speaking world. She was employed by the Far West (NSW) Children's Home to fly a mobile baby clinic, and became known as the "Angel of the Outback".

Nancy-Bird (as she liked to be known) also worked as Commandant of the Women's Air Training Corps during the Second World War and later founded the Australian Women Pilots' Association. Last year, Qantas named its first Airbus A380 super jumbo in her honour.

Nancy-Bird Walton was a true Australian aviation legend.

We extend our sincere condolences to her family.

That FlyCamOne2 looks pretty good Ian, any chance the shop will stock it?regards

I am actually trialling a pen at the moment - it has a pin hole camera, a mic and plugs into the usb port of your pc to upload up to 2hrs of movie.

You can just have the pen in your top pocket or clipped on somewhere, turn it on and film and use it as a pen as well :big_grin:

I paid about $50 for it and will let you know plus I could have a look at the FlyCamOne2 for the shop as well

This is how an insurance company will catch you out:

Because they are cold-blooded animals, crickets' metabolic rates are closely linked to the temperature of their surroundings. An interesting side-effect of this is that you can calculate air temperature based on the number of times a cricket chirps per minute: just divide by 4 and then add 40 to get the temperature in Fahrenheit. So 120 chirps per minute translates to 70 degrees F.

it is illegal to fly a Jabiru other than a J120 at higher than 38C ambient temp because that's what they were certified at and that's what's in the POH.

Of days gone by we, and the public, associated a small aircraft as an ultralight. Our own governing organisation made the switch from Aust Ultralight Federation to Recreational Aviation but have we and the public made the complete transition yet?

What do you think?

January 13, 2009: 2008 highlights

The year was very rewarding in terms of our primary goal — safe flying. There was only one fatal accident in an RA-Aus registered aircraft during the year — unfortunately both occupants died. There were no accidents where long-term injuries were sustained. Since the AUF/RA-Aus was established in 1983 there has been one other year (1996) where only one fatal accident occurred. Ordinary membership at 31 December 2008 was 8440. So, considering the 145% increase in membership since 1996, 2008 was our safest flying year ever. The average annual number of fatal accidents for the five year period 2004–2008 is 4.5 — about the same as the 1999–2003 period.

Past history shows that 87% of RA-Aus accidents involve or are directly attributed to critical decisional errors or human factor [HF] related events. Elimination of such events might be regarded as the last frontier to be conquered in the quest for fatality-free operations. HF training of the instructor population commenced in 2007 and by end 2008 over 70% of instructors had completed a human factors related course.

HF training was added to our Pilot Certificate training syllabus with the introduction of a revised Operations Manual. Consequently, from August 2008 all new pilots study HF in their training; all existing Pilot Certificate holders must complete an HF course or an examination by August 2010.

During the year 312 new registrations and re-registrations were added to the register, with a number of older aircraft dropping out, bringing the total to 2805 at December 31.

Aircraft register at end 2008

State

Fullregistration

Provisionalregistration

90-daysuspension

Total

Qld 704 23 26 753 NSW+ ACT

706 26 16 744 Vic 624 20 17 661 Tas 79 1 2 82 SA 263 6 5 274 WA 224 10 2 236 NT 50 0 5 55 Total 2650 82 73 2805

Note: provisional registration applies to completed home-builts which have not yet flown the 40 hours required for full registration. The 90-day suspension category applies to aircraft where the annual fee is up to 90 days overdue; after the 90 days grace period the registration entry is cancelled.

The ratio of voting members to registered aircraft has hovered around 2.5:1 for some years but at the end of 2008 it has drifted up to 3:1. The average annual hours flown (in RA-Aus aircraft), currently reported by our Pilot Certificate holders, has reduced a little to 32 hours; perhaps indicating that the average RA-Aus aircraft flies about 100 hours per year.

Membership at December 31 is 8440, up 8% from the 7800 at December 31 2007. The distribution of membership is:

Queensland — 2139 (25%)

New South Wales and the ACT — 2291 (27%)

Victoria — 2093 (25%)

South Australia — 927 (11%)

Western Australia — 523 (6%)

Tasmania — 278 (3%)

Northern Territory — 119 (1.5%)

Members currently overseas — 58 (0.5%)

The number of RA-Aus approved flight training facilities increased by 9% during 2008, totalling 139 at December 31. That total excludes about 15 satellite FTFs currently operating under the control of a parent FTF.

The continuing non-promulgation of CASR Parts 103 and 149 remains a major disappointment. To curtail some of the effects RA-Aus has requested changes to the old exemption CAOs — 95.55, 95.32 and 95.10 for the introduction of:

• Entry to controlled airspace (but CASA now requiring Class 2 medicals)

• Flight over water to come in line with GA requirements (not for powered 'chutes)

• Flight above 5000 feet approved in line with GA

• Entry to active restricted areas

It is expected that these changes should eventuate early 2009.

Another significant event was the inclusion of $250k of pilot liability for passenger cover in the Members Liability insurance policy.

Read the benchmark events in the development of Recreational Aviation Australia.

Post has been removed due to an amendment - please see post No 4 below for the amendment

The ClearProp portable ones like you mention there Skyhog are only $110 - if that helps

What about this one Chris:

http://www.recreationalflying.com/forum/announcements-notams/11789-security-gone-mad.html

G`Day Mike,I was born in Turin,Italy, 1/1/1948, my parents migrated to Australia 11 months later.

 

Have never had the chance to go back,please have a good look around for me.

 

Regards,

 

Frank.

Me too Mike!

what do we measure in,nautical miles

nautical miles meters

 

nautical miles feet

Saw this today - a news story on the dangers of alcohol and with it is an advert for Heineken beer

IT WAS EVRY BODY ELSE WHO EVEN WALKED PAST THR CONTAINER AT SOME POINT ALSO WANTED TO BE PAID. REGARDS

NEIL

(PS - Neil, did you know that using capitals when posting in a forum means you are shouting, in forum talk :big_grin:)

I hope that when charges are laid by the police that they will be publicly named and shamed so we can all avoid them.Ozzie

There will be one organised for 09 mate

Thanks Cap't - yes, I also feel that the formulae is nearly right and a part of that formula is to keep improving the site - I think we should start cleaning up soon by removing an old registration for every new one that arrives over the 3,000 mark - means we will stay at 3,000 users for a little while but those 3,000 users will be regular ones.

In 2009 we will start to spend some more money on advertising other then the nearly $3,500 a year we already spend in the RAAus mag and develop a whole new marketing plan.

In 2009 we will introduce many new initiatives never before seen on an aviation web site plus many things never before being seen done by an aviation web site.

Now that the police (Heidelberg CIB) are handling all the threatening and disgusting emails that I get - they get forwarded a copy of each email with the site security reports that lists real IP addresses, ISP providers etc - In recent weeks I have been blackmailed, told my children have genetic disorders given to them by me, been cc'd on emails that have been sent to others in attempts to discredit me and much more, it should be a better year in 2009 - hey, and all I did was to set up a site where pilots could come together to help each other to stay safe, seems there are a couple of people in our industry that don't like the successful formula that is being used here Cap't

Anyway, stay tuned for an incredible year of aviation in 2009 - there is Avalon and then offcourse NatFly, a "Come And Get It Trophy" relay by Rec Fly members finishing at Natfly, also a Recreational Flying Flyin during the year, many site improvements and above all, many new friendships being made right here at Recreational Flying.

Enjoy your New Year!

Same reasons as above: you never know when the site might cease operations...

I was thinking of putting one up on here but a poll I did some time ago showed that there wasn't much interest plus there are some legality issues as well.

Our server is backed up every night so that would be a better option then using your own PC unless you also backed that up every night as well - my PC is backed up weekly and I lost 4 days of work, emails etc when my hard disk died on me several years ago.

I will soon take another look at creating for each user, sections for a private online:

Pilot Log Book

Aircraft Log Book

Kit Building Log Book

BFR Reminder

Aircraft Reminders (oil change, 100hrly etc)

plus any others you can think of

I got a new ride-on lawn mower. Next year I would like santa to bring me my own air strip so I can mow it.