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nomadpete

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Everything posted by nomadpete

  1. nomadpete
    Turbs, With all due respect I was not in any way denigrating anybody. I did, in fact say as much in my post. I was suggesting that there has historically been a mismatch between our needs (regarding the role fulfilled by the tech Manager) and the combination of technical skills, knowledge, ability to operate successfully within the framework of the organisation, etc... presented by each successive person who has been a tech manager. Otherwise, there would not be a turnover of staff in this job. We have had (unfortunately) many good people put a lot of effort into the job. But we still can't keep a tech manager for very long, can we? Why is that? How do we overcome the problem? Pete
  2. nomadpete
    My biggest concerns about the "New Tech Manager Search" are: 1. Is anything being done within RAAus to target qualified and suitable persons for such positions? (to avoid a repeat of the high turnover problem) 2. Is anybody writing up a comprehensive list of KPI's for the position? (to ensure they know what is expected of them, and for us to know if they are performing as required) 3. Is there a proper job description, with a detailed list of duties / accountabilities? (so they know what is expected of them) The above are essential for an incoming person to be able to do the job, for RAAus to be able to see that they are doing the job (these days everything must be measurable), for overload of work to be identified in order to provide support when needed, and in the event of any shortfall of performance, for some control and if need be, a clean termination of services if necessary. Please note I am looking forward, not backwards. I am not suggesting anything about any particular person in our past, but unless all job details are laid out clearly at the recruiting time, sooner or later there will be problems. Anyway, I recently raised these concerns with a local rep, and I am happy to say that I am now reassured that the above steps are under way. That is a big step in the right direction. Pete
  3. nomadpete
    I retract my comment about why we lost our Techman. In the absence of direct information, I was alluding to a previous post by someone else. Suffice to say "We lost our Techman." No offence was intended to anybody. Particularly Wayne. I appreciate the sincere effort that he put in to a very difficult and complex job. Apart from that, nobody seemed to agree or disagree with the rest of my post?
  4. nomadpete
    Profound. Very profound.
  5. nomadpete
    What is all the fuss? We lost our TM due to unsuitable qualifications (or something like that) which could have caused liability issues if anything went wrong. RAAus requires a TM in order to operate. We have a GM who is following 'Due process' and has announced that he intends to advertise for a new TM. We have a capable temporary TM until that time. That seems to be a reasonable process that will ensure transparent appointment of a new permanent TM. Yes, we obviously need to have more resources for the job, but that is another issue, and hopefully the board are taking steps in that direction.
  6. nomadpete
    Some time ago, I was told of a 6 seat WIG that (about 10 - 12 yrs ago) was doing promotional 'flights' on Port Phillip Bay (I think) at the same time of the F1 racing. The operator was trying to raise interest / backing to bring the machine to market. From the description, it could well have been the Cairns WIG.
  7. nomadpete
    There is a kit in the US for a single seat WIG which uses hovercraft method to get up off the water, then uses stubby winglets to 'fly' up to a metre off the surface. Looks like a fantastic fun device but would need a lot of space to play with it. (Google 'hoverwing')
  8. nomadpete
    Welcome to our new age of clear and transparent communication..... (wearing my sarcasm hat)
  9. nomadpete
    analyse that, Bandit....
  10. nomadpete
    KG, Have you offered your audit process experience to our Board? I'm sure they need some guidance in developing this area.
  11. nomadpete
    Wow ! Don't forget that our defence forces also practice low level ground following flight. Hope never to be a bug on their windshield.
  12. nomadpete
    Well I am sorry. I did not expect so many folk to fire up so easily from my Rotax remark. I do not personally take sides on the engine preference debate. I believe that all power plants work reliably if you look after their particular care and feeding requirements. Anyway, Ollie also sometimes employs Subaru power plants (is there a Subaru bashing group too?) and if this A/C had a belt reduction, the failure of that could account for all prop blades broken if it was freewheeling, or maybe it was a partial loss of power. All just speculation but the curiosity is stirred up and it would be great if we could get a definitive explanation (unbiased and without prejudice or blame) Obviously a nice strong airframe, that and the fact that the U/C leg gave way surely contributed to the wellbeing of the occupants.
  13. nomadpete
    Oh.... I hope this doesn't start another Rotax bashing spree by certain biased individuals
  14. nomadpete
    How to Tell the Sex of a Fly This is the cleanest E-mail joke I've come across in a long while! A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a fly swatter 'What are you doing?' She asked. 'Hunting Flies' He responded. 'Oh. ! Killing any?' She asked. 'Yep, 3 males, 2 Females,' he replied. Intrigued, she asked. 'How can you tell them apart?' He responded, '3 were on a beer can, 2 were on the phone.'
  15. nomadpete
    T That is matter of apinion.
  16. nomadpete
    So now you're only looking at the pictures?
  17. nomadpete
    There seems to be a shortage of research into the problems caused by various fuel additives ( or other petroleum component chemicals). After my GRP fuel tanks in my Lightwing developed pinhole leaks I did some web crawling and found this informative link: http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/fueltest.asp I had been using 98 RON but I suspect that I my have settled for a brand of 95 that has Ethanol in it. Although the article is from a boat magazine, it seems that they have actually done some research. It is important to read right through the article because it starts with a talk about polyester resins (which are not generally used a lot in aircraft). Further down the article refers to a test done with "Ethanol resistant" Epoxy. The test showed that it lost a significant amount of its strength after only a short period of immersion in E10 petrol. Even if you avoid Ethanol contaminated petrol, there are almost certainly other potential problems lurking in the fuels also. Worth a read just to become aware of some problems. Peter T
  18. nomadpete
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A couple were lying in bed together on the morning of their tenth wedding anniversary when the wife says, 'Darling, as this is such a special occasion, I think that it is time I made a confession: Before we were married I was a hooker for eight years.' The husband ponders for a moment and then looks into his wife's eyes and says, 'My love, you have been a perfect wife for ten years! I cannot hold your past against you, maybe you could show me a few tricks of the trade and spice up our sex life a bit?' She said, 'I don't think you understand, my name was Brian and I played rugby for Wales . . .....'
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  19. nomadpete
    And RAAus also moves in mysterious ways... But not in very god-like ways!
  20. nomadpete
    Please, Please,,,,,, Stop this aerial posting business. Especially stop saying how nice it is in the air. It's making us all jealous.
  21. nomadpete
    Reading the altimeter and checking the time taken.... In a glider you might get away with losing that 100 feet in the 15 seconds that it took for the maneuver. When I did glider training for this, we didn't try it under about 300 feet. My Lightwing or the Drifter loses at least 400 ft for the turn. And much more if I don't react absolutely instantly to the loss of power. There is also added risk from the increased stall speed due to higher G's in the tight turn, meaning that they are going dangerously close to stall on the way around. Not a option that I'd be putting in my takeoff checks for anything less than 500 feet. Even then only if the trees were really thick at the end of the strip.
  22. nomadpete
    Sure wasn't a Drifter !
  23. nomadpete
    Speaking as a member, I am more than just concerned. I am very frustrated to see all this continued poor behaviour by the very people who are claiming to be the most motivated to act in our best interests. I feel so very disempowered (if there is such a word). Any attempts that I have made to ask board members has only added to my frustration and anger because I can only get dismissive (if any at all) response from some board members, and from those board members who are trying to get us on track I get echoes of my own frustration because they are also unable to get communication, or fair debate within the board itself. Thankfully there are a few individuals who have been open with the membership but even they are not keeping us fully informed. I would be happier if I got regular updates even when they are only telling me that 'issue this or that' has made no progress due to...... whatever. Even a quick list of dot points would help. The registration update is the first good step in the right direction, but even that doesn't tell me what the longest awaiting renewal is. What about progress updates on other things such as the Member and aircraft database? It is a vital tool to reduce rework (and therefore administration costs) in the office.
  24. nomadpete
    Notice something about this thread.... There is no heated debate, very little passion, much quieter than some other threads. So far I just get the feeling that there is not all that much to be said about the resignations. I am waiting with baited breath for the next development.
  25. nomadpete
    If we do have to comply with the AQTF, then it looks like we will have to get all instructors to get a Cert IV in Training and Assessment. This is usually a three to six month course one full day a week plus extras, and costs between $1000 and about $2000 depending on how and where it is done. I would like to hear whether this will be part of the new training regime for RAAus? Peter T
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