kgwilson

2 hours ago, jackc said:

Unfortunately they are out there, my old flying school hired out their aircraft to a weekend pilot,  who managed to bend it and it was off for 4 months repairs and a 5 month arrival of an extra Aircraft too.   I was well in credit for instruction hours and Covid came along, hence I was unable to fly.   I could not claim my credit back as I was not returning to the school and last enquiry they said I owe them.......back through all my records and the credit stands.   What do I do, chew up money in legals, or treat it like a dog would ‘pee on it and walk away’.  

Hence I am running out of respect for a few people in Aviation adding a LAME who did a bodgy rubber replacement on my aircraft.   So, you wonder why I have a disrespect for some in aviation who break rules, don’t care, rip people off?

You wonder WHY people would do their own thing in aviation?   Well I will tell you WHY......they have had enough of the regulatory crap,  the fleece merchants and little goody two shoes cupcakes that think that the aviation world is near perfect and we should all just shut our mouths and comply.

Try this for a firewall penetration of fuel line 🙂

 

 

Dodgy operators and anyone ripping you off need to be exposed. Ask the school or whoever for a full statement of account. A credit is a credit and time doesn't eat it unless there is a written contract stating a credit expiry date. A lot of people view this site even though they are not members. So tell us all who it was and I at least will tell everyone around our aerodrome to avoid them like the plague. They then talk to others and so the reputation of these people will suffer and hopefully they will amend their ways. A poor job like the hose through the firewall without any grommets or sealed gland is a fire risk as well as a carbon monoxide risk. This should be reported to CASA or RA-Aus if it was an L2 and the person severely reprimanded or stripped of their qualification. 

Dodgy operators and bodgy jobs are far too common in Aviation and we all need to do our utmost to rid the industry of these things. We had one here 8 or 9 years ago, everyone knew about it but did nothing. I arrived on the scene and started reorganising things and he was booted out of the club & within 12 months he was gone.

An instructor with a bad/wrong attitude should not be an instructor. I had one like that for 1 lesson, low flying & precautionary landings. I made mistakes & he got pissed off told me I wasn't doing things right etc & all that did was make me worse. In the end I went full power & climbed & he just said "where the hell are you going" I said one word "Home". I never spoke to him again & laid a complaint with the CFI. I was told I wasn't the first to complain but would be the last. He was fired, ended up in PNG & 3 months later flew into a mountain & died.

Throughout my career I was tasked with making numerous decisions and as my seniority increased so did the consequences of the decision especially when they affected the lives of many employees. I found that making a decision in a timely manner based on the best information available at the time was always better than procrastination even if after the fact it was ultimately not the best decision. Managers who procrastinated were left behind and failed to progress.

Now why does this not surprise me? Government graft as per normal.

Did this 6 weeks ago. It is a pity there is so much complacency among the flying community & those who never get involved sometimes complain the most when decisions that they could have had some say in are made that they don't like.

The number of hours in the logbook is the only official indication of flight knowledge and experience other than the qualifications and ratings. Taking off, climbing above the weather and flying straight and level for several hours on autopilot just adds to the logbook but doesn't advance your knowledge or experience that much.

I am pretty sure it is up to the instructor to determine when he thinks you can go solo. Of the 5 hours at least 1 must be solo but it could be 3 or 4. I originally converted in a Gazelle & found it easy to fly and manage the low inertia after my PA28-181 after one flight. I went solo after the second flight, all normal training airwork with EFATOs & FLWOP, Sideslips as no flaps etc. Then nothing for 5 years while I built my aircraft & had to do it all again in a Jabiru.

There are also mini 250ml non toxic foam extinguishers that are very light & will fit anywhere. About $38.00 in an aerosol container the size of my wifes hairspray bottle. Contents swell 40 time original volume.

ASA also have to take some responsibility for the Mooney crash near Coffs in Sept 19 when they refused class C access and there was no conflicting traffic anyway. I'm sure CASA will remember that as well.

I first came across Wligas at the World precision flying champs held at the Waikato Aero Club, Hamilton NZ back the early 2000s. I thought they looked like a praying mantis but the Polish team who had shipped several of them out to compete were absolutely astounding in their ability to fly at any speed between pylons and land so accurately it was unbelievable. Fantastic aircraft.

The grass roots side of RAA still exists but it has never been like FAA Part 103 in the US where anything goes up to 254lbs empty weight 5 US gallon fuel max, 1 seat, 55 knots max speed & 24 knots stall. No inspection or licence required, no radio or transponder.

The main issue here is the lack of enthusiasm by people to get back to this grass roots type of flying. Back in 2013 we organised a 95.10 rally at South Grafton and got 2 blokes & their wives turn up with their Campers & no aircraft at all.

Half a dozen of them for 2-5k each & you'd have enough bits to keep one going for a fair while. A new windscreen though would probably cost as much as a couple of them.

There are photos of it flying with and without the cowl on the Rotec website. The wing is all timber construction with ply/glass D-box & fabric to the rear of the main spar. Beautifully constructed. The wings attach to the root section 1 panel out from the fuselage so it is the centre cantilevered spars that broke off.

It seems odd that the RH wing has sheared right off at the root and disappeared, well it isn't in the photo. No cowl either unless it didn't have one.

Presumably some of the LH prop blades broke off & cut through the fuselage & caused the fatality. The RH engine seemed to run on for quite some time.

My submission to ASA stated that the level should remain at 8500 where peaks exceed 4000 so in theory the minimum height above terrain would be 2500 where the highest peak is 3999 feet. It is still a compromise that I would prefer not to have. They have this stupid box of 8500 feet around an area including Round Mountain which is 5204 high. Apart from that it is a pathetic small drawing with no detail. The purple is their proposed 6500, red 8500, blue 4500 & green is existing CTA.

Possibly the biggest issue is that generally there will be no intention of going IMC but once it happens logic can be replaced with panic. Once that happens the brain cannot function logically. Many years ago I listened to a radio transmission between a pilot who was in IMC and ATC. The pilot became totally panicked and just kept screaming Mayday ,Mayday, Mayday. ATC calmly but forcefully said "You are in a spin, release the controls" a number of times to no avail. Then silence. The panic had set in and nothing was going to save the pilot then.

When I built my Sierra I knew of at least 4 other kits that got started at around the same time but never found out whether they got completed or not.

If nothing else this support for our privileges is worth the membership fee. I completed the CASA survey as well as this and lodged my own response with ASA. It is pleasing to see many of my concerns incorporated into the RA-Aus response and that a high percentage of the 255 members who also completed the survey have the same opinions. ASA needs to pull its head in preferably through its rear fundamental orifice.

The ANCAP crash test comprises a 50% offset head on collision with a 1400kg solid mass with a crushable aluminium front to simulate the front of the oncoming car with a closing speed of 100kmh. There is also a full width frontal test with a solid wall with no deformable element at 50 kmh, and a side impact (T-bone) with a 1400 kg mass with a crushable front at 60kmh. There are other requirements for the rating including Adult and Child protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist systems. Details are at  https://www.ancap.com.au/

Most new vehicles get 5 stars, though the new Mitsubishi Express van got none. Utes and some 4wd vehicles do not fare well. The worst car since 2017 was the Ford Mustang, then 4wds Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Gladiator & Suzuki Jimny all with 3 stars. Then back to 2016 & several Chinese Utes & people movers. 

The reason for the offset test is not given but it would seem to me that this must come from actual crash statistics as most head ons are likely to be offset rather than full frontal. The rating system is continuously upgraded so when buying a car look for 5 stars with the latest date.

Just don't crash it. Your body has mass too and it doesn't like being rearranged.

It may be classified as a classic car but in their day they were not well built with bolt on panels so they could change the model every 6 months. The wrap around screen was a knee cracker and the ergonomics of the drivers position was awful (short arms and long legs) as well as atrocious handling with a floating soft ride that made passengers sea sick, the boot was only about a foot deep with a giant spare tyre in the middle. OK on a straight flat freeway but don't try to go round corners.

A bargain for anyone who wants high performance and range. Eurpoa's new Elite looks amazing with Spitfire like eliptical wings and excellent performance as well.

I've seen plenty of really dodgy repairs done by so called professional lames especially electrics with poor joins and a bit of insulation tape, a Mooney engine installation the flange was almost touching the  cowl & needed shims, routing of fuel lines close to hot exhausts, screws missing, etc. I don't trust anyone to do anything on my aircraft except me.

Replace the L with an R & I've come across quite a few.