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winsor68

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Posts posted by winsor68

    CASA - Alcohol and Drug use in Aviation

    in AUS/NZ General Discussion

    Posted

    I think in essentially it is great...BUT...I do have some reservations about the way it has been introduced in the area I work in.

     

    I am a Ground Services Agent for a Company that has the contract for one of the major airlines in Australia. Through reading my Ra-Aus mags I knew this was coming several years ago and made copies of the relevant information available to my fellow employees. Since then it has been coming....coming....coming...and is finally here.

     

    The only bit of information we have been provided with at work on this is an online presentation that took about 10 minutes to complete about the effects of alcohol and other drugs...since then according to my own research I have discovered that there are/may be penalties attached to returning a positive sample...in the regular training updates provided to airline employees there is mention of penalties of up to $5000 for failing to provide or failing a test. The problem is that no one in the industry seems to have a clear idea of the implications to employees and no one has been told.

     

    Under CASA guidelines the cutoff level for alcohol is .02% BAC, Oral Saliva testing will be used for other drugs.

     

    The Airlines and contract companies that complete this work have raised the bar higher...Nobody knows how high for alcohol...but they use urine testing for drugs which on CASA's own website they explain the reason they use saliva is because it provides a more effective way of showing levels of intoxication...

     

    In my own workplace we have been tested once (by our employer, not CASA) and it resulted in one young bloke being suspended for six weeks or so until he could get the THC out of his system...that is the ingredient in Marijuana that shows up in testing up to 2 months after use.

     

    This young bloke is now back at work and agrees along with everyone else that the testing is a good thing as it encouraged him to give up smoking pot...BUT...because Extacy, LSD, Amphetimenes, Heroin etc etc etc are cleared from your urine in 24 hours or less...He has now found a new way to party.

     

    So...the testing is great but the way they have left it open for the employers to choose how they test is a very grey area...And you have got to wonder how someone could have a beer before work...be under .02% BAC...and be fine and legal...or have been out all weekend shooting up speed, snorting cocaine, taking pills, then had 1 day to rest and be fine...while the next bloke could have been at a party...had a toke on a joint two months ago...and not be considered ok for work...

     

    I certainly know which person I would rather have working next to me or in the cockpit on my flight...

     

     

    Drifter Records

    in AUS/NZ General Discussion

    Posted

    off topic but much the same way as dynamic soaring was discover by a glider pilot following a bird over mountains, on a calm day, the effect of flying at certain angles to the swell can increase range and speed massivly. Apparently some ocean birds can fly in a wave vortex for thousands of kilometers with the only effort being that of steering.

     

     

    Watch this and be amazed...375mph with a 100" model sailplane using dynamic soaring behind a ridge...I wonder if this could be done full size?

     

     

    **VIDEO** Scott Winton OPEL

    in AUS/NZ General Discussion

    Posted

    This is brilliant...have typed Scott Winton in to Youtube search several times before and found nothing...It is great to finally be seeing some Australian Aviation History appearing on Youtube...can't wait for more...Here is some other Aussie aviation history in my link...The Schneider Kookaburra, while not as original as the Winton Aircraft is seen in this link.

     

    http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgFPovdXi84&feature=channel_page

     

     

    Glider Flying

    in Student Pilot & Further Learning

    Posted

    http://http://www.youtube.com/user/winsor68

     

    Above is a link to some Super 8 movie footage my dad took during the late 60's and early 70's in North West Queensland. It features aerotowing with Mucha and Kookaburra sailplanes. You should be able to find your way to the other parts of this footage on Youtube easily...I had to break it into 4 parts due to length...Some of the footage shows I believe some reflex launching with a standard Libelle sailplane (this aircraft is still on the register- VH-GTX).

     

    I have some even older footage of my Mum and Dad flying a Schneider Kangaroo...a truly rare aircraft...which I will add to Youtube soon...

     

    You may even spot me in a few frames as a tiny baby...my brother and I grew up on airfields and I can certainly relate to the comments about gliding being time consuming...it was all we knew on weekends untill I was 16 years old lol.

     

    Surely there is other footage floating around of gliding in Australia'a past...this country has a rich gliding heritage. I think it would only take Ra-aus and more sensible and cost effective aircraft for a major rebirth...I know if I had a choice I would be gliding. The plastic sailplanes that evolved from the sixties in my opinion were the end of affordable gliding in Australia...Wooden aircraft were easily maintained and repaired within the gliding clubs...once airframes became glass and even metal, any repairs or major work required a visit with the machine to facilities located many thousands of kms away and much higher costs.

     

     

    Need to fly...But have some reservations...

    in Student Pilot & Further Learning

    Posted

    http://http://www.youtube.com/user/winsor68?gl=AU&hl=en-GB

     

    I do ride a motorbike...for about 2 years now...getting my license was the most thrilling and fulfilling thing I have done...I remember on the first day out on my bike I rode to the top of the Eungella Range and stopped and thought to myself....Flying next...I just wanted that feeling of freedom and accomplishment to go on forever...and I hope it will...Above is a link with Movies my dad took in North West Queensland of some of the flying he did..and a short movie I put together from the last Vets ride day in Mackay if anyone is interested.

     

     

    Need to fly...But have some reservations...

    in Student Pilot & Further Learning

    Posted

    Hi...I am 40 years old...I was lucky enough to have enjoyed an aviation upbringing in North West Queensland where my dad flew sailplanes for many years.

     

    I have had the flying bug my whole life but sadly have never attained my license or flown much since I was 16 years old.

     

    I became a follower of Ra-Aus aviation many years ago and even managed to convince my dad that ultralights were not the crazy dangerous machines we were raised to believe...He did an ultralight conversion with Trevor Bange on a Drifter at Rainbow Beach where he now lives...Sadly due to health and perhaps the death of his best mate/flying buddy in an accident on takeoff from Toowoomba several years ago he has not realised his dream of aircraft ownership...This accident really affected all of us and bought home the thin line that all pilots operate on. Even now years later this accident is something I think about often...and this brings me to my question.

     

    I want...no...I need to fly. It is something I, like many others, have spent my whole life dreaming about. I now find myself in the position to be able, I believe, to afford it financially. It may mean tightening the purse strings a little for my family (I have a 5 year old daughter) but to me the inspiration to be had from flying far outweighs the financial cost.

     

    But...something stops me every time I decide to commit...I have my partner who is quite happy with me getting my Ra-Aus license and buying a Drifter of similar...but I really don't think she understands the implications of an aircraft accident and she regularly says "How many seats does that one have?" with the idea that I can take the family for flights...

     

    I guess once I start my training these worries will disappear?

     

     

    About having an ASIC Card Poll?

    in AUS/NZ General Discussion

    Posted

    The ASIC give access to areas you are required/needed to be in...I work in the ATP side and if I visit the airport out of work hours even with an ASIC I still am not supposed to be on the apron.

     

    GA pilots would not be able to visit a turnaround of a commercial jet without being escorted even with a valid ASIC.

     

    It is just a shame that the ASIC has had such a negative impact on recreational flying...when they were really intended to be only for commercial use.

     

     

    Walk around on a commercial plane - invalid?

    in AUS/NZ General Discussion

    Posted

    Rpt Walkarounds

     

    First flight of the day the big jets have an engineer perform a walkaround, followed by either pilot. During the course of the day the pilot or first officer performs the check before every flight...

     

    The final check before any flight is performed by the Pit Crew leader...checking for obvious flaws, all hatches closed and locked..etc

     

    The most common problem I have seen identified during turnarounds is tyres..Chunks missing, treads worn beyond specs..etc

     

    And as a ground handler I can assure you I always double check the secuirity of the baggage doors..

     

    Several signatures are recorded on the paper work for the flight including the Crew Leader (who calculates the projected weight/trim for the pilots), Pit Crew Leader (who supervised loading the aircraft according to the trim), and the Captain.

     

     

    Hello

    in Just Landed - Welcome

    Posted

    Not Sure

     

    It was a very rough old Auster...It was eventually grounded and left Mount Isa on a truck...my Dad knows where it left to...somewhere in South East Queensland...

     

    The other parts of the movies are on Youtube together here

     

    YouTube - winsor68's Channel

     

    The Glasfugel Libelle shown in the movies is still on the Australian register...don't know if she is regularly flown...

     

    It is a shame there is so little information about Edmund Schneider and his sailplanes in Australia available...at least I have failed to find much...

     

    Regards,

     

    Donny

     

     

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