old man emu

I'm sick of seeing the same stock footage in documentaries about famous airplanes. How many Allied fighters shot down that twin-engined plane from the rear? Which plane shot up that traain by coming in from the side? And what about the one that straffed one from rear to front? How many times did the same Zero on a Kamikaze dive get shot to bits?

 

And I'm sick of their commentary that seems vomited up from the pages of Jimmy's First Book of Airplanes.

 

 

What I would like to see in a documentary about any famous type of plane is:

 

1: A good look around the airplane such as you would do in a pre-flight.

 

2: A close inspection of the interior areas such as the cockpit and crew positions - maybe even displays of entering and leaving gun turrets.

 

3: A look at the structure through removed cowlings and panels. Such things as gun bays; control surface linkages; plumbing lines and cabling; armour.

 

4: Significant components like the various gun-sights and bomb-sights (There are videos on YouTube about the Norden)

 

5: Pilot's operating manual and some operational data - weights, loads speeds etc.

 

6: A flight sequence showing take-off, climb to maneuvering height, typical maneuvers from a pilot's-eye view, then return to the circuit and landing.

 

I'm sure that there are enough examples of famous planes around the world to make some really interesting and informative documentaries.

 

OME

 

 

So the population of Western Sydney is becoming more dense? Nev

Any denser and they would sink in liquid mercury.

 

 

I think that use of public transport (ground variety) in Australia is hampered by the effects of the "my house on a quarter acre block" culture which arose at the beginning of the Baby Boom era.

 

If you compare any Australian city with any European city, you can see that people live in closely-built urban settings within relatively short distances from where they earn their money. That's a result of their history. Here, our urbanisation history is one of expansive suburban settings located long distances from out workplaces. Also, the development of our suburban living arrangements came hand-in-hand with the availability of cheap, rapid personal transport in the shape of motor cars. Our transport system is also affected by our dislike of being too close to other people - the size of an Australian's 'personal space' in crowds is much greater that that of Europeans and Asians. That's why most of the cars involved in peak hour traffic contain only one person.

 

Where public transport provides a quicker, regular service, it is well used. Compare the use of buses in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney with their use in the Western suburbs. The Eastern Suburbs show the results of suburban development before the availability of motor vehicles, while the Western Suburbs show the opposite.

 

Currently there is a great deal of residential building going in the old industrial inner city. This development is utilising vertical space, and its occupants will have access to already existing ground transport systems which make the need for private transport less important.

 

As for expansion of aviation facilities - there is a hangover dating from the the first half of the 20th Century when governments actively discouraged any form of transport that would take trade away from the railways.

 

OME

 

 

I had a good chuckle at the well scripted comedy in all these short videos. They really took the p!ss out of Australians.

 

Then while I was telling my family about them, I realised that if the subject of these vidoes had been any other ethnic group than Europeans, there would be screaming protests of "RACIST!!!".

 

How come it is not possible to make racist remarks about Europeans?

 

OME

 

 

Not if you go through all eight chapters, ya bloody vanker.

 

 

Lay-buy: A prostitute's service fee.

 

 

Thanks, ya bloody galah! That's half an hour of my life I won't get back - but geez I enjoyed it while it lasted!

 

OME

 

 

Gandalph,

 

Haven't you got to go curse a hobbit?

 

OME

 

 

Ah! Just like a "Members Only" page. Good idea. It will let we ratbags waffle on, but won't let the search engine trawlers downgrade to status of the site.

 

I'm off to post something that has notHing to do with recreational aviation, is controversial and most likely not PC:ecstatic:

 

OME

 

 

I think you could say that I am often a big player in the Off Topic field, so I've given some thought to Ian's comments as I read through the thread.

 

I didn't realise that the content of the Off Topic thread could adversely affect the status of the whole site. Recently we have been giving the topics of multiculturalism, refugees and politicians a hammering, and we've voiced some strong opinions. I can see that the operations of site rating software monitoring "bounce" could downgrade this fine site.

 

I suppose one way to have our cake and eat it would be for each of us to back off these really sensitive topics and pay more attention to to quirky things like "What wildlife do you have in your backyard?"

 

It is going to take some self-censorship, and maybe we could agree to invite Ian to go through the posts to identify those of us who could be asked (by PM of course - no use shaming us to the rest of the community) to steer clear of controversy.

 

OME

 

 

Must really p!ss them off when Mother Nature slams their islands or coral with a massive tropical storm.

 

OME

 

 

I carry a colour copy of my bus driver's authority, as well as the original when I drive. The reason I have the copies is that I have a bad habit of leaving the original in the bus when I end my shift. At least I can produce a true copy to provide an inspector with the information required.

 

If an inspector jacked up about not producing the original, and that was due to the fact that I had left it in another vehicle, then I would suggest that he employ a few grey cells and see that I was attempting to comply with the requirement to display my authority. Strewth, the information contained on the copy is exactly the same as the original. I'm sure that the record kept by the authority does not have something that the original or copy have - a depiction of my handsome visage.

 

 

OME

 

 

If the Government and opposition stopped adopting a winner take all position then more legislation would get passed.

I think that you would be surprised at the amount of legislation that is passed with bi-partisan approval. It is only the big ticket items which reflect one Party's political philosophy that they fight about.

 

Aren't federal senate seats state based so small states have same power as populous ones? So a senate seat in a small state doesn't need too many voters. That ain't democratic either

When the Australian Federation was being worked out, the developers had to deal with the mis-trust between the colonies. Don't forget that there were Customs Houses on both sides of the Murray. They figured that there should be a means of expressing State's Rights in the governance of the country, so they made a bicameral system - the House of Representatives which is the People's House, and the Senate, which is the States' House. Each State was given an equal number of members in the Senate.

 

At that time, the Party system of politics had not developed to the extent it is today, so the Senators (and House of Reps members) tended to be more independent. Over time, the Australian bicameral system corrupted itself to mimic the Westminster system - House of Representatives = House of Commons; Senate = House of Lords. That's when the terms Upper and Lower Houses came into use to reflect the Senate's opinion that it was superior to the House of Representatives. Then, with the development of a Party political system, the Senators began to form blocs based on Party affiliation, and the Senate went from being a State's House to a house with a bias towards supporting its fellow party members in the House of Representatives.

 

So, the system that the framers of our Federation developed to overcome inter-colonial rivalry still maintains the seats per State ratios. It has lost the independence of opinion of its members through party affiliations.

 

OME

 

 

Yes he goes over the lines just after seeing the aircraft, probably wondering what the hell is going on, may have gone out to try to see further round the corner.

I had the feeling that the camera was being operated from the passenger's side. At the end of the clip you can hear two people talking, and no one from anywhere else could have got there quickly enough to join a conversation with a lone driver.

 

OME

 

 

Farri,

 

That white stuff on the ground is not foam on water. It's this really cold stuff called 'snow'. Those wide, flat white things the plane is sitting on are called 'skis'. These are the sort of conditions you encounter when you move a loooong way from the tropics.

 

OME

 

 

I think that what seems to be high beam from the on-coming vehicles is actually flare in the camera. Seems the camera was 'stopped' up due t the low ambient light. Also, those approaching vehicles were over 500 metres away, and around a curve.

 

I'll back the truckie this time.

 

OME

 

 

I'm pretty sure that Dick is no a raving right-winger. When I said that I thought he would be of a Conservative bent, I meant that I thought he was a few steps Right of Centre. I don't think any businessman would support the Left to any great degree. There's a difference between Socialism and "progressive social views. I think he is too astute to have the wool pulled over his eyes by either major party. I think it is good for parliament to have some Independents to act as burrs under the saddle cloth.

 

OME

 

 

Yes there are situations where a company which employs many people and will be viable again in the future should be able to get assistance in a short term crisis. This should NOT be a gift from the taxpayers, it should be in the form of a low-interest loan which they should repay as soon as they're back in the black.

You mean to say that mining companies should be treated the same way as drought-affected farmers?

 

OME

 

 

I would imagine that Dick's a Conservative, so, I think that he would vote with the Conservatives on the majority of matters, and only speak out on his hobby-horse interests. He's the sort of person you think you could trust to be free of Party influence. It does not concern me who is the local member for those seats north of the harbour. I don't live up there.

 

OME

 

 

Yeah, but you have to sit on eggs once a year for 53 days without any feed!

Typical comment from a flyboy. Flit hither, thither and yon; screeching and squawking; living a life without commitment, while the some of us consider that family is worth the sacrifices. At least Old Ma Emu doesn't hang around, nagging me to do this and that.

 

Old Man Emu

 

 

Sounds like Midnight Spares is stocking up on replacement engines for Jabirus.

 

OME

 

 

What about the EMU?

That's right. You flyboys think that you are the be all and end all of aviation. Someone has to keep their feet on the ground, keeping your feathers preened, maintaining perches, and generally making sure you don't go crashing into each other.

 

Old Man Emu

 

 

The wife tells me that she saw the ad for the first time on TV last night. It was broadcast at 11:05pm AND the kale scene had been clipped out.

 

Do we live in a DEMOCRACY where all agree to accept the Will of the majority, or

 

Do we live in a YCARCOMED where all must accept the Will of the minority?

 

OME

 

 

Yesterday I heard that approximately 300 complaints had been made specifically relating to the vegan scene in the ad.

 

(300/23130000) x 100/1 = 3/2313 = 0.0013% of the population (2013 count)

 

I respect their right to voice a minority dietary choice but sheep meat production in 2014-15 was estimated to be worth 3.2 billion dollars. How much did veganism contribute to GDP?

 

OME

 

MLA_Sheep-Fast-Facts-2015 (1).pdf

 

MLA_Sheep-Fast-Facts-2015 (1).pdf

 

MLA_Sheep-Fast-Facts-2015 (1).pdf

By turning off the electrical power, you won't stop the engine. Don't forget that aero engines have an independent spark generation system (magnetos). You will just lose any electrical powered equipment, but at this stage of the flight, the need for them has gone. Loss of radio might be a nuisance.

 

Cover your nose and mouth with cloth of some sort to filter out the smoke particles. They will do you in faster that carbon monoxide, and will prevent flame from damaging your breathing system.

 

Side slip with left wing down. Keeps the smoke and flames away from the pilot. (Next time you go out for a bit of a joy flight do some side slipping and watch the Vertical Speed indicator to see what rate of descent you can get. You shouldn't get near VNE, so structural failure won't be an issue.)

 

Don't forget that the firewall is made of fire resistant material, so it might get hot, but it should not let fire break through. (That's why it is called a 'fire wall')

 

If you have wing tanks, shut off the flow from the high side tank. A tank full of fuel won't burn, but flowing fuel will.

 

If the cabin fills with smoke, punch a hole through the side covering if possible to create an draught.

 

Curse yourself for thinking that you thought tie-down pegs and a hammer are more important to carry than a 2kg fire extinguisher.

 

That's my five cents' worth (inflation, you know.)

 

How about some personal fire protection advice from a trained fire-fighter?

 

OME