Student Pilot

Danny I think you are misconstruing my intent. I did not say it was a tall tail, my post was not to question your statement or deconstruct your comment. I was stating my experience within a small industry. I haven't worked Northern NSW for a few years, both cotton and broad acre out west or fert in the tablelands but I do still have contacts there. As I said I'm not questioning your statement but my personal experience is I don't know any ex RAAF flying Ag. There could quite well be some.

Dooly it's fast, not really a beginner aircraft even stabilised. I find small models a pain to try and keep track of, my style was big n slow. I liked just cruising around. I have seen jet some slope soarers that look like fun. I've seen both Migs and Sabres around 1.5m span, no power just soarers. They look to perform well with scale type speeds. That little critter Mig would be doing mach 3 scale speeds the way it flashes past 😜

Ag is a pretty small industry with only something like 200 pilots, it is also very insular with small operations in remoter areas that don't get out much. I'm not saying there aren't any RAAF pilots flying Ag just that I don't know any. What area does he fly? Does he do fires too? There's not many spots with all year work left in the country now so most (generalising here) pilots do fires in the summer.

Don't know any ex-RAAF that fly Ag, it's a different job to normal (if there is such a thing) flying. Ag flying goes from quiet spells where you might only do 300 hours a year in droughts to 12 or 1400 hours a year in boom times. There is a financial component (Ag has some prostitute pilots, only in it for the money) but you have to be really keen on flying to stick with it for very long. WARNING possible controversial statement! Usually find the military boys have been given a free ride with training and life in general and don't take to Ag, it is different to what most expect. Biggest percentage go into airlines where working life has more status and is more predictable.

No matter what you have the air is moving up or down in a parcel. Depending on how big the parcel/area is, how fast you're going and the vertical speed of the moving air as to what if any actions you can take. If you enter a 6,000' or even 600' a minute vertically moving up/down draught then you're only along for the ride, no amount of control manipulation can overcome. Is there anything (mebe Doppler?) that can look ahead and see or predict accurately (without precipitation) what the air ahead is doing?

Mark Twain has words for every occasion “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

A mate started flying same time as I, originally he was a sheety with Qantas. Flew with Anset, All round the world and finished his career flying a sim and check Captain with Jetstar on 787's which he loved. He has a very nice original 180 to get his fix now. I had/have no desire to fly airlines or IFR. Hands on flying looking outside is the only way to go for me.

That used to be the main way people learned to fly Nev. If you were really keen you paid for it yourself. I did, every cent I earned went to flying training. At school when the careers adviser asked what I wanted to do I said pilot, he laughed and said a labourer was my destiny. So I left school at 16 and did an apprenticeship. After that I thought I'd give flying a try, I'm not real smart but I can put in a big effort in when needed. TIF in late 78 and commercial in mid 80, then Ag rating. Been flying for a living since, best job ever. Taken me low level all over the world, on Ag and fire. A lot I know who fly for a living aren't interested in anything flying apart from making money, I'm still mad about anything flying, GA and ultralight.

Seems some have it in for you Nev 😜

Bellanca made a similar aircraft for cheap twin training

I used to use a Tandy stopwatch timer, nice big numbers and could see with a quick glance

What about aviator underpants? Made especially with smaller support for undersize genitals 🤣 Aviator socks so you can impress with your sensitive soft walking, or the swagger with tailwheel pilots 😁

In GA? Anybody speaking up or pointing out problems finds themselves unemployed. Regulators know what goes on and ignore it, 48 years flying and it hasn't changed.

Need a magnifying glass for that little 3" gauge. Used to know an old pilot who flew with a magnifying glass for reading WAC charts and engine instruments 😁 No problems with flight instruments, he never looked at those 🤣

Any more capable than a brand new Cessna 182 for 60K in 1980?