Reynard

When undertaking a flight more than 50 NM radius from the aerodrome of departure, you must carry a serviceable ELT. If the ELT is installed on the aircraft, it must be armed before flight. If it is a survival (portable) ELT it must be carried in a readily accessible place.

“We consider carrying a satellite device like a Zoleo when you are remote essential“. Just as a straw poll, what do others use for maintaining contact with your ‘responsible person’ in remote areas, if you don’t lodge a flight notification with a SARtime ?

Fair enough. Although I suspect it would be rare for posters on this forum to have 6 people in an aircraft. A Starlink mini costs around $400 outright + a monthly plan for ~ $60 and may be another option.

But you still need a round tuit.

I recall Rex having an argument with Qantas on some regional NSW routes. Qantas used larger capacity aircraft which demanded more screening services, which Rex ultimately had to pay for.

“The charts I'm using don't indicate the type of vegetation as far as I can tell. Are there maps commonly used to show what's down there apart from mountains, lakes, rivers and manmade structures?” Other than satellite images on an EFB, the short answer is no, there is no commonly used chart that shows the type of vegetation (except maybe plantation forests) that I’m aware of. The other consideration with ‘tiger country’ is access to civilisation, such as a road, which would speed your rescue. The desert with no vegetation could be considered as ‘tiger’ country on this basis. if ever you get bored, read the story of Max Hazelton (founder of Hazelton Airlines- the forerunner of Rex Airlines) and his crash in the Blue Mountains. Over a number of days, he walked himself out through some very rugged terrain after he was presumed dead. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-11/tributes-paid-to-western-nsw-aviation-pioneer-max-hazelton/102206992

I recall my father telling me about the day the gruff DCA inspector landed at the airfield, but had forgotten to wind the aerial in. He was uncharacteristically sheepish that day apparently.

HF radio -Doesn’t seem to be a requirement any more. A modern iPhone now has satellite connectivity which is handy.

“I am having difficulty finding defined requirements/recommendations for traversing these areas.” Defining generalised survival gear requirements would be a challenge - survival gear for alpine areas would be rather different to that in the desert in summer, or the wet season in Kakadu. My interpretation of this requirement (and I’m planning a DRA flight right now), is carry plenty of water and wherever possible follow signs of civilisation (ie. roads). I also carry a space blanket, that happens to be highly reflective, and a cigarette lighter. You can survive without food for literally weeks, but water, maybe less than 24 hrs in some cases. We generally carry snacks such as dried fruit and nuts for long trips - they are light, and don’t go off. I recall reading the story of the guy that bogged his plane in Lake Eyre and didn’t set off his ELT as he thought his rescue would cost too much. He was lucky - when he was rescued he was severely dehydrated and drank gallons of water.

Thanks to all respondents- I was curious how active Scherger is these days with the larger US military presence in northern Oz. Sounds like Coen is the safest option if Weipa becomes out of bounds on the day.

Just looking for fuel options (Avgas/Mogas) up the western side of the Cape. Public notes on Ozrunways suggest the smaller settlements have nothing and encourage you to stay away by charging mammoth landing fees.

“Something doesn't smell right.“ Yep !! Why on earth would they fly this thing all the way back to India if they knew of this safety critical defect ? Lots of chatter about this point and the speed of the leak of the pilots handwritten defect write up. It sure does seem odd.

German B&F aircraft produced their FK9 with a 3 cylinder engine adapted from a Mercedes Smartcar. I think there is one of these aircraft in WA somewhere. As far as I know, they are now powered exclusively by Rotax.

Extract from AviationCircle……. “A safety watchdog in India is raising a red flag after an Air India Boeing 787 crew reported a problem with a critical engine fuel control switch during startup on Flight AI132 from London Heathrow to Bengaluru. In a press release dated Feb. 2, the Safety Matters Foundation said the left engine fuel control switch on Boeing 787-9 VT-ANX twice failed to stay locked in the RUN position, instead drifting toward CUTOFF during engine start. The group warned that under certain conditions, that kind of malfunction could increase the risk of an inadvertent engine shutdown, and called for transparent, fleetwide scrutiny. The foundation also pointed back to a 2018 FAA safety bulletin that warned some fuel control switches could be moved without using the locking feature, creating the risk of unintended operation. It’s also landing in the middle of ongoing attention on Air India’s 787 fleet after the June 2025 AI171 crash, where investigators documented fuel control switches moving to cutoff shortly after takeoff. No connection has been established between the events, but the timing is why the watchdog is pushing regulators and the airline to take a hard, public look at any repeat fuel switch reports. Update: Air India says it has now grounded VT ANX after the report that pilots had an issue with the engine fuel control switches. The airline says it has formally notified India’s aviation regulator, the DGCA, and that further technical checks are underway in coordination with Boeing”

There is a string on this topic on Rotalk from 8 years ago. Here is one skeptical comment from this string : Re: Polishing intake manifolds by Bill Hertzel » 8 years ago I am confused. ??? A week ago you were asking about the possibility of Modifying your crossover pipe. Yesterday you post pictures of the manifolds before and after welding. This afternoon you report a test flight was successful. 6 hours later, the Parts are available for mass marketing on an Italian website. Either this is the fastest engineered project I have ever heard of, or I am missing something. :unsure: