FlyBoy1960

Gee, that time goes quickly. RIP

I am lost Skippy, i also have IFR, Multi engine, turbine etc ratings on 'real' planes and others as well. But my experience is that going through the commercial drone system in 2025 was significantly more intensive than any of the general aviation ratings that I have. That is my opinion based on my experience and nothing else.

I must say that the training for a CASA approved, commercial drone pilot with RePL and REOC is to a much higher KNOWLEDGE level than it is for a recreational pilot by a really large margin. Not meaning to offend anybody but those with the qualifications in both commercial ops and RA-Aus aircraft will know exactly what I mean. The knowledge required for commercial drone exceeds what I did for IFR and instrument ratings in general aviation. T510 would agree with this statement, I am sure

the flywheels would be going in different directions ?

Drones are like eBikes... The horse has bolted and there is no way of catching it now.

Sorry T510, you are wrong. Sub 250g you can only go to the airport/field boundry. There are photos taken WITHIN the boundry and using google earth to reference viewing angles above 400 ft. Stupid BUT model aircraft have different rules to drones, hard to believe but true. I know. CASA ARN XXXXX | CASA ReOC XXXX | CASA RePL | CASA BVLOS and EVLOS | NOTAM originator authorised person etc. under my belt

There are many other photos in the listing link so it really cant be google, the viewing angle is way to low. There are some shots at the front of the business at say 25 m height, Google wont do that see https://www.mcgrath.com.au/property/252P0092

good news. I heard the owner died and they were closing. Hope they stay trading.

So, I get the usual real estate blurb about a new property becoming available and if you look at the right-hand side of the photograph you can see one of the runways at Caboolture in the very same photograph. Go to the website and there are a heap of drone shots including some that must've been taken over the runway looking south towards the property for sale. These real estate cowboys are going to kill somebody very soon ! Probably didn't even know the airfield was there. CASA should beyond of these things and start tracking down whoever flew the drone within 5 nautical miles of an active aerodrome and make them an example

ATEC are gone now ? I dont remember ?

And we all have different purchasing power. A new Pipistrel Virus SW won't give you any change out of $350,000 + + + +

It depends on the model I am guessing. A lot of people get confused about the Virus and the Virus SW, which are completely different aircraft. There are also changes based on the equipment levels and the empty weight of the airframe (they really excel if flown light). Peter Bugg is the local expert on the Virus SW and he flight plans at 150 kn at 8000 feet but I can't remember if it was 14 or 15 L per hour but it was something incredibly low. He has the fuel injected engine, in fact the 1st one sold by Rotax EVER. Little bit of history there.

Look at the accident satistics

Remember all aircraft have an alignment reference. The X-Air needs the main fuse tube to be level and this normally means raising the rear wheels on the scales

The RA-Aus Technical manual explicitly confirms that bathroom scales are acceptable, provided they can take the weight of the aircraft. Scales deemed suitable by RAAus are: Race car scales Bathroom scales (if capable of taking the weight of the aircraft) Farm scales *Other weighing equipment deemed suitable for the task A block & tackle suspension with a calibrated load cell Accuracy requirement The manual sets a simple check for verifying accuracy: “Any non-calibrated scales used should first have some basic checks performed to ensure accuracy (e.g., 20 litres of water = 20 kg).” This confirms: Calibrated scales are not mandatory. Consumer-grade scales (bathroom scales) ARE acceptable. You only need to perform a simple reasonableness check to confirm they read correctly. Practical requirements When weighing an aircraft, RAAus also requires: Two or more consecutive weighings to get stable readings. Summary RAAus does allow bathroom scales, and the manual explicitly lists them as acceptable. The only requirement is that you verify them with a simple accuracy check.