BurnieM

I thought this article was quite poorly written. Some of the statements about sources of non-government weather info were just wrong. You need to understand sources, forecast windows and know that all sources of weather info have potential errors on a daily basis. You should understand your legal requirements for trip planning. You should frequently review updated forecasts as well as current observations during your trip. I find one of the most useful sources of current weather information is the radar overlay in my EFB. As long as you understand the constraints (only updated every 5 mins and always a little behind) replaying the last 5 radar images (last 25 minutes) is very useful. This information is not from an official source and I am not required to review it before flight but I suggest it has high value for every pilot.

I have always thought these sort of statements from Air Services and BOM were plain bullshit. Saying it is for legal reasons does not cover it. The current observations and forecasts are produced by BOM who forward them to Air Services who are the 'official source'. The information on the BOM website (old version - https://www.bom.gov.au/aviation/forecasts/taf/) is identical and has a much more readable layout than NAIPS. You also need to check NOTAMs (available on most EFBs).

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/577402

If you can add the gear for less than $200 to an existing PC then it is worth a try. If you are paying $2000+ for a new PC and gear then I think it is more worthwhile to spend the money on additional lessons. The top end sims give you a feel for the plane but desktop sims only give you a mental exercise without developing much of a feel for the plane.

Kade has arrived back home at Albury. He should be able to release a few more vids shortly.

Skyecho uses the RAM twist suction cup mount. They are a very reliable mount if used within their design criteria. They are not a permanent or semi-permanent mount. They are designed to be attached before use and then removed after use. With Skyecho people attach the suction cup mount to a side window and then remove the Skyecho leaving the suction cup in place. So in the month between aircraft usage the window goes thru 30 heat cycles. As I have said before this eventually causes it to fall off and also shortens the cups life. This will happen faster in summer. Skyecho do not tell you to use it this way but they do not discourage it either. I have never seen a RAM twist suction mount fall off if newly attached at the beginning of the day. If you want a permanent mount then create one or hassle Skyecho to create one. RAM make hundred of mounts. I used to sell RAM mounts. I have dozens of misuse stories.

I was using Tumut and even after a big resealing project with new aprons and taxiways (which you would expect to reduce costs for the next few years) the council are still budgeting $150,000 per year for maintenance. Fortunately Tumut has the forestry industry driving the ongoing maintenance of this airfield (even tho they seem to be reluctant to put any of their own money into it). Ratepayers tend to go with councils that say this is a cost we cannot afford right up until they need the airport but this 'essential community asset' driver does not last for more than a year or two. A landing fee of $15-20 would be reasonable for most small regional airports. My understanding is if you do touch and goes for up to 30 minutes this counts as 1 landing at most airfields. Special fees and inconsistencies across different airfields cause confusion and animosity between airfield owners and the GA community. I do not know how to solve this as some (many?) airfield owners do not seem to be interested in talking with other airfield owners. NOTE THIS IS A LANDING FEE POST IN THE LANDING FEE THREAD. Anything else does not belong here.

If a small regional airport has; - no scheduled services - 200-ish landings a year - 1 medivac every 2 years - 100 landings/takeoffs for a bushfire emergency every 10 years Who should pay ? The medivac/bushfire response is a benefit to the community so say the council could pay 50% The biggest user is still private aviation. Could 15 plane owners contribute $75,000 per year for a basically maintained rural aerodrome ? This is a pretty typical example.

You need to replace the suction cup or mount. Phone/GPS mount suction cups will last much longer if you remove them from the windscreen/window when they are not being used and then reapply them next time you want to use them. You can get over 5 years out of them this way. The perspex/glass the suction cup is attached to is heat cycled daily and as well as eventually causing it to fall off also shortens the cups life.

Not quite right. Councils were given the airfields whether they wanted them or not. Most councils started from zero knowledge managing an airfield and many do not have much more now. Cheaply run airfields have maintenance costs starting from $150,000 per year and going up. Many (most?) councils view them as just another cost. Unless there is a pilot or aviation business owner on council many are allowed to run down. Stupidity happens ie Goulburn.

Where are you located in Brisbane ? I guess you are still working so you need something after work or weekends ?

Keep going. Aviation has a lot of skills that you need to know. Really you need to learn all of them in parallel. Only one problem, nobody learns this way. So you learn one task/skill and then you learn the next and so on. The other thing is what you take in for each skill depends on what you already know. Having to go over things several times is normal and you take in more info each time. It has always been like this even when you were 15 or 25. The thing is 15 year old us knew this and slogged through. Today you have finished your formal education and learnt a job or two and settled into a more comfortable life. Yes old bastard you is a little slower to absorb new information but it it has always been a process. You just have to start and keep going. The more you learn, the safer you are.

They would have a hard time establishing that is a reasonable charge in court and they probably know it. So refuse to pay and advise in writing the airport owner and Avdata. If there are legitimate charges on your Avdata bill make sure you pay them excluding the b/s charges.

To maintain any level of security as well as fences and ASICs you also need security patrols, say 3-4 utes driving around all operational areas during operating hours. I am yet to see this (minor) level of security at any regional airport. At Shell Harbour we see 1 ute driving around performing maintenance tasks. That is it. The level of security right now (with ASICs) is incredibility low. How about we stop this pointless political theatre ?

But we are discussing it because in almost all of the aerodromes we fly to it is ineffective and a significant cost to the individual for no benefit. If they government want it then they should pay. If the airlines want it then they should pay.