Neil_S

Dear Skip, Thank you so much for your reply - negative, rude and insulting as always. I don't think anyone would disagree that it would be better at a non Security Controlled airfield, but I assume the organisers had their reasons for choosing Parkes - have you asked them? I assume the alternative would be no fly-in, which you would probably prefer. Or even better - why don't you organise it yourself if it's so blindingly obvious you have a better alternative? Like everyone else I think the ASIC is a money-grab and totally useless, but I have one so I can go to a security controlled airport where someone who works on my plane is. Being of a certain age it also gives me more options to land for a comfort break, or refuel if I have underestimated my fuel use. I'd rather NOT have to pay for those options, but as other threads on here illustrate, you're bashing your head against the government - so good luck with changing that. I had NO PROBLEM with the food. Describing it as awful is just insulting. I have been to many fly-ins and I agree the food at Holbrook is excellent, but given the facilities available at Parkes it was fine, and on a par with many other fly-ins. Personally I didn't attend for the food, I attended to catch up with fellow aviators and chat about all things aviation - which I did. As stated, I think UNICOM would have improved the event, and told the organisers. It remains to be seen if it is implemented this time. And as you mentioned Sport Pilot, the magazine you love to hate, why don't you volunteer to become the new editor? You do nothing but slag off the current one. Having run a newsletter in the past I can confirm that getting people to contribute articles is like getting blood out of a stone. How many articles have YOU contributed? So instead of asking US let's hear what reply you got when you asked the organisers why they didn't go for Narromine/Temora. Cheers.

Hi Blueadventures, I attended the 2024 event and camped under wing in the area set aside. Just make sure you bring a mattress! There were adequate toilets and showers, and the food was what I expected at this sort of event. I have an ASIC, so that side of things was not an issue for me. The HARS museum is also worth a visit. I suggested to organizers, as I believe did others, that a UNICOM be provided. Hopefully this has been taken on board. I won't know if I'm going to the 2026 event until a few days before, when the forecasts firm up. Remember that the airport has REX commercial jets - I checked the time of the REX plane's arrival, and got there a few minutes before it was due. I needn't have worried - it was about 2 hours late...... Cheers, Neil

Wow - is that a Reindeerial engine?

Hi FV et al, Fortunately I stopped my subscription to Kitplanes a while ago, although they have sent zillions of emails offering me discounts to start up subscription again (I was simply going to borrow my mate's printed copy). But I still pay extra to get a printed copy of EAA's SportAviation mag as I also like a hard copy. Was reading it on the train today. I find it's sometimes delivered a bit late, but usually it doesn't really make any difference. Cheers, Neil

Hi BC0979, I have done sideslipping in my Savannah S many times. Doing it without flaps extended is best as you can get a great descent rate and don't have to worry about VFE. But I have also done it many times with one stage of flap, but kept below 60knots VFE. Remember that while sideslipping your pitot tube is not aligned with the airflow, so the airspeed reading will not be very accurate. I do it to lose any minor excess of height on final, as I usually just use one stage of flap when landing. I don't really see the point of sideslipping with full flap as the plane is very draggy and will descend at a steep angle, so I don't do it. HTH Cheers, Neil

....including a few Buchons, of course!

Hi All, I watched a video on Youtube last night of the recent 2025 Duxford UK airshow. At the end of the show they had a flypast of 15 Spitfires and 7 Hurricanes (an eighth had returned to the Czech Republic), which was rather more airworthy examples of each than I thought there were..... Cheers, Neil

The Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford have recently completed the restoration/rebuild of another two-seat Spitfire "Lady Luck" MJ444. Cheers, Neil

There are at least half a dozen in the UK. My brother and I flew in the two at Duxford earlier this year (they also have a two seat Hurricane), and there are three at Biggin Hill. You can fly in a two-seat Spitfire in the UK from several locations, includingBiggin Hill (Kent), Duxford (Cambridgeshire), Blackpool Airport, and North Weald (Essex). Other locations offering flights include Headcorn (Kent), Compton Abbas (Dorset), Goodwood (West Sussex), and Bournemouth Airport (Dorset), according to Aero Legends, and Spitfires.com. Cheers, Neil

Hi Skippy, It was July 2022 - no time limit. Cheers, Neil

Hi, I did it a few years ago. As above but $770. I seem to remember it was Darren Barnfield who signed it off. He will also ask if you want an exemption to still fly over built-up areas. Why not? So I have that. Cheers, Neil

Correct. And of course the fuel shut off valve to the engine under my seat.

Well we keep being told there is a pilot shortage so I hope it inspires people from minority groups to become pilots, when they otherwise may not do so. I remember my ex-airline instructor telling me that the few female pilots he came across were better than most of the males as they had always had to work harder to prove themselves in the eyes of the males. And let's not forget the Tuskegee airmen from WW2, and Eugene Bullard (black American living in France) from the Escadrille Lafayette in WW1. Sadly the Orange man in the US would probably discourage it....... Cheers, Neil

Hi James, The outer tanks on my Savvy S feed into the inner tanks, so when I switch them in I wait a short while to allow for the levels to stabilize then double the value seen in the sight gauges. The inner tanks have no switches and simply feed into the tank behind the seat. Nice and simple and has worked OK for me for the last 9 or so years.... Cheers, Neil

Not really - the ones doing that mostly don't make radio calls.......

Well he says he "had a landslide", but in reality 77 million voted for him out of a population of 340 million. Even excluding children too young to vote etc that is still a minority, probably around 33%. He got 49.8% of the vote and Kamala got 49.3% (75 million).

Hi T510, As Garfly says, there are a few options available to you. I use a Skyecho2 and display the ADSB-IN from that on an iPad Mini 7 using AVPlan. I've been using this combo for several years with no problems. Obviously with no electrical system you would need to ensure both are adequately charged up before embarking on a cross country flight. Where in Victoria are you based? Cheers, Neil

Exactly. And who would be best placed to do that? Let me think..........

...or unregistered drone, or even model aircraft......or possibly some sudden structural failure........we will never find out.

Hi Onetrack, I understand that, but in this instance there is no indication that there was any "simple pilot error". He was flying along in the cruise at 4000 ft a short distance behind his brother in another aircraft and then suddenly he was at a few hundred feet pulling the chute. A few weeks later a GA aircraft ran off a runway and pilot and passenger escaped unhurt - yet the ATSB are investigating that. Also the sad accident where a young instructor took a couple of mates up in his newly-acquired GA plane and flew circles around the mate's house , lost control and crashed is also being investigated by the ATSB - yet I think we can agree this will not reveal anything new about flying circles low and heavy around a point. So I'm afraid the argument about only investigating fatal crashes where something new can be learnt does NOT apply. Cheers, Neil

Hi T88, As it had numbers on the fuselage and not letters there was no ATSB investigation, so no cause has been determined. There is no evidence that the chute failed to deploy properly, it appears to have been deployed too late. Cheers, Neil

Oooooooh - salt - that'll put your blood pressure up! Don't declare that! A guaranteed fail!!

Hi IBob, I guess it comes down to the principle of moments. I remember doing all that stuff at school with levers and weights at different lengths from the fulcrum. I guess the CG for the aircraft is the "fulcrum" here, and a smaller weight a longer distance away has the same effect as a larger weight that is closer. Being a bit of a pedant I frequently put more fuel in the starboard outer tank on my Savvy than the port outer tank as I usually fly solo, and I worked out that even a relatively small extra amount of fuel acts as if I had a (light) passenger in the right hand seat, and therefore the plane is more evenly balanced in the roll axis. Cheers, Neil

Hi Alan, I agree there do not seem to be many changes year on year - personally, as I live in Melbourne and mostly fly within Victoria, I just buy the hard copy book for Victoria and Tasmania every few years. Not sure if that's the most cost effective, but I have done that the last few years. BTW - if you log into their website (www.flightace.com) it lists all the airfields in the books by state, so you can check if a certain field is in there. Cheers, Neil

Hi Jackc, Assuming I have understood your enquiry correctly - it cost me $770 to convert my Savannah to Experimental. I received a new C of A. There have been no recurring fees other than the normal annual RAAus aircraft registration fees. Cheers, Neil