kgwilson

As an aircraft it can't match anything in the Sukhoi SU27 to 35 family. Indonesia has SU35s more than a match for the FA18s. The new SU57  is likely to be everything the F35 should have been and more with real capability. Clutching on to the coat tails of Trumps mob only benefits them. In the event of a major issue if there is no benefit for the US it won't bother. The real issue is "are the latest generation of fighter/attack aircraft relevant in todays world of long range super accurate missiles, drones etc."

As for the billions being spent on obsolete submarines that don't seem to have a real purpose, what logic is there to that decision other than to suck up to the frogs.

Polycarbonate is incredibly tough, can be bent to shape easily and is easy to drill whereas Acrylic isn't as strong, doesn't bend much and cracks easily.  Acrylic though is cheaper, can be easily blown to form bubble canopies, doesn't yellow with age (UV exposure), is more scratch resistant than Polycarbonate & these can be polished out (You can't do this with polycarbonate) and has better clarity than polycarbonate. It is just horses for courses

A picture is worth a thousand words. Even the newer coal fired plants are highly polluting as well as a blight on the landscape. Solar supplemented by gas is a good interim solution until we can transition to 100% renewables. Coal seam gas has its problems and even though they have tidied up their act the fracking process still carries a pretty high risk of ground water contamination.

Elegant or Ahmeds.

Looks fine to me Ian. I don't have  any screen issues as I use a 16:9 24" monitor

The decision to divert should be made well before the thought of "It is getting a bit late but we should get there".

Whatever whiz bang digital colour screen all singing and dancing Nav EFIS & EMIS system you have doesn't matter one iota when you find you are in the predicament of this fateful flight decision. You are now almost at your destination, It is dark, you can't see the airfield, the GPS says it is right there, your flying friend is providing info on the radio & you respond but there are a million things flying around in your head, so you don't process anything well,  the PAL activation isn't working, you are almost out of fuel, your heart rate is now over 180 , you can't concentrate on or interpret anything on the EFIS. Panic sets in, your brain is freezing up, bang.

This is a pretty horrible scenario but it has happened numerous times because get there itis or whatever you like to call poor decision making can have catastrophic and fatal results.

I agree. When I did my initial VFR night training I was too high on first flare but as the runway was over 2000 metres long I got down OK. The PAPi & VASI lights also were a distraction as my glide slope & final was a lot steeper & shorter in a C152 than any airliner.

PAL is "Pilot Activated Lighting" and is a set frequency for the aerodrome. It is activated for a set timeframe, the minimum being 30 minutes. It requires the pilot to change frequency to the aerodrome PAL frequency and press the PTT button 3 times for between 1 & 5 seconds each press within a time period of 24 seconds from the first press to the last. Pilots are advised to send 3 bursts of at 3 seconds each with 1 second between each burst. If another activation is detected within the minimum time period the system resets the time back to the start. Yes it can be activated from the ground. You need to be able to do this if you are there and want to work out where the runway is for takeoff.

 

Given almost every pilot in Australia flies behind OzRunways or Avplan that gives your arrival time almost down to the second updated in real-time, I can only wonder if the bloke in question was that comfortable with his EFIS setup he deliberately ignored his ETA based on his (over?) confidence with his equipment, but overlooked the reliability of the PAL. 

 

That is a rather bold statement. There are many pilots who do not fly behind electronic flight planning systems. I only use one, a freebie called Airmate or sometimes the gliding app XCSoar both on my phone as a backup, preferring to navigate by dead reckoning as I have always done with a map and No 1 eyeball.

Turbo, I can't see vertical plunge damage here, with the typically concertinaed cabin. The cabin here appears to be folded underneath the fuselage, seeming to indicate the nose went in at a low angle, dug in, and then folded under.

 

There was no cloud involved here, conditions were reported as fine and clear, with light winds. It would appear that simple spatial disorientation in the dark, sucked him into terra firma.

 

(photo courtesy of Simon Cross)

 

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I agree. I think he was flying all the way into the ground. CFIT.

In the ABC report there is a statement that there was very little engine noise which could indicate he was on final approach and just misjudged his height as it was dark. CFIT. I wonder if he'd activated the runway lights?

All is fine. It should be obvious that new software has different URL references so just edit the settings in your browser if you use Rec Flying as the home page, have it as a bookmark/favourite or require it on browser startup. Simples.

That's the first time I have ever heard of having to pay for a form. Paying a fee for filing it to cover processing and other charges or whatever may be OK but I agree with SD or just get a blank one & copy it.

I use Aeroshell W100+ in my Gen 3 3300A and it seems fine. I change oil every 25 hours along with a new filter. Total cost is about $45.00. The oil stays clean though out and I always have to put the dipstick on a paper towel to find the level as I can't see it on the dipstick. 3 quarts of oil and no topups in 25 hours works for me. My normal cruise is at 2800-2850 rpm & 17-18 lph. The W100+ has a corrosion inhibitor which is a good idea with the Gen 3 steel bores. I see no reason to pay $18.00 a quart for some fancy oil that does the same job as the $10.00 a quart oil.

Poorly worded and non specific. If you refused to pay they'd have little chance of extracting the money through any legal process.

No it was never acceptable. The Comet was the first ever Jet airliner and the company paid the price. Boeing rose from those ashes with the 707 and through its own failings is now paying the price which it may never fully recover from.

I have always used 123.45 as the chat channel. A bit of banter is good when ATC is not busy. Some years ago when returning from a family Christmas I called ATC to request entry to the zone. I knew the controller & replied "XYZ, 2 P.O.B. one D.O.G. a bottle of scotch & several unwanted christmas presents, overhead (reporting point) 3000 feet, request entry & landing instructions". Response was hysterical laughter followed by XYZ join straight in for 36, cleared to land, Merry Christmas.

The problems began more than 10 years ago when Boeings management in an ever increasing costs savings drive began to outsource the manufacture of parts by providing only high-level specifications and then asking suppliers to design more parts themselves. Hundreds of costly engineers were laid off in 2015 and software was out sourced to Indian company HCL formerly Hindustan Computers. This caused confusion as often the lack of aviation knowledge from the code cutters meant that there was to and froing due to communications issues and mistakes. There were kickback benefits for Boeing though as Air India placed a 16 $billion order in return for Boeings promise of 2.5 $billion of work for Indian companies in 2005. Boeing also got a 32 $billion order from Spiceject in 2017 for 737 Max aircraft further cementing the Indian relationship and a significant coup in a market previously dominated by Airbus.

Boeing's 737 Max software outsourced to $13-an-hour engineers

The problems relating to the outsourcing caused delays and is a major reason the Dreamliner was several years behind its original rollout schedule.

The failure to restore mines to their original state is an absolute disgrace both from the greedy miners and the pathetic Qld government alike. I don't know where Adani finally got the money for its Carmichael mine but Banks won't go near them, nor venture capitalists. The Qld and Federal governments are there for some short term gain at the expense of Qlds greatest asset, the reef. The promised jobs won't materialise in the numbers bandied about and the stupid locals supporting them will suffer in the long term.

Politics and infighting destroyed what would have been easily the most dominant military aviation industry on the planet.

This happened to me when our company petrol tank was wrongly filled with diesel. I just filled up my tank as usual and away I went. About a week later I checked the oil level and found it half an inch higher than the full mark. All the companies cars that had been filled in that time were checked and there was a major maintenance issue for a while as they were all drained & cleaned etc. No harm done as it was detected quickly enough.

Whenever I decide to go flying I always perform a mental IMSAFE. It is something that I have done since hearing of incidents and crashes about 3 decades ago. Do other pilots here do this ?

If I have had a cold or some issue, have been given some medication, feel a bit stressed over anything at all, had a few too many the night before, feel tired or have not had a good feed I don't even consider flying. There is a report just released about the Vortex Air pilot who fell asleep & overflew King Island & woke up 78ks away last November. He hadn't slept for 24 hours. The odd thing is that after turning around & landing at King Island he spoke to his boss & then they agreed he should fly straight back to Moorabbin. I think this is poor airmanship on the part of the pilot & the company & assume commercial pressures make these things happen. The fact that there were no passengers involved is irrelevant in my mind.

See Snoozing pilot who overflew destination had been awake for 24 hours

Just a minor thing but an aircraft lives in a Hangar. A Hanger is what you put clothes on.

Thanks for the info. I have installed a new VDO sender and as I was given it for free it seems a good solution. If it fails I'll have a look at the Speco gauge.

Yes there is no excuse for such poor fuel management. Meat bombers are renowned for running on empty though as they maximise their cargo with just enough fuel for the trip. Years ago when they used to fly out of YSGR they used an old clapped out C182 and twice ran out of fuel, once failing to make it back to the strip. The pilot eventually lost his licence.