SportPilot 85 September 2018

ISSUE 8 @SEPTEMBER 2018

THE MAGIC

MAGNUS

THE HORNET AND THE HOMEBUILT ACROSS AUSTRALIA

GYRO STYLE ARE YOU READY FOR

AIRVENTURE?

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CONTENTS

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From the Chairman Calendar of Events Letters to the Editor Classifieds Final Approach

COLUMNS

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Safety News from the Ops team Dalton on Safety Opinion RAAus

FEATURES

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CONTACTS

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT HEAD OFFICE PO Box 1265 Fyshwick ACT 2609 Australia Unit 3, 1 Pirie Street Fyshwick ACT 2609 International: +61 (2) 6280 4700 National: (02) 6280 4700 Fax: +61 (2) 6280 4775 Email: admin@raa.asn.au www.raa.asn.au

CEO

Michael Linke ceo@raa.asn.au NATIONAL FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION MANAGER Maxine Milera admin@raa.asn.au NATIONAL OPERATIONS MANAGER Jill Bailey ops@raa.asn.au 0400 280 087 ASSISTANT OPERATIONS MANAGER Neil Schaefer ops@raa.asn.au 0428 282 870 ASSISTANT TECHNICAL MANAGER Jared Smith jared.smith@raa.asn.au 0418 125 393 NATIONAL SAFETY, RISK AND COMPLIANCE safety@raa.asn.au 0418 445 652 EDITOR Mark Smith editor@sportpilot.net.au

Enquires: tech@raa.asn.au Pilot and Membership Enquires: members@raa.asn.au ACN 070 931 645 DIRECTORS Michael Monck (Chairman) 0419 244 794 Michael.Monck@raa.asn.au

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While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content of this magazine, no warrant is given or implied. The content is provided to you on condition that you undertake all responsibility for assessing the accuracy of the content and rely on it at your own risk. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of people named in this magazine. Recreational Aviation Australia Ltd and Stampils Publishing reserve the right to decline any article, letter or comment deemed unacceptable for whatever reason. No endorsement or responsibility is implied or accepted for any product advertised in this magazine. Advertisers and buyers are each responsible for ensuring products advertised and/or purchased via this magazine meet all appropriate Australian certification and registration requirements, especially those pertaining to CASA and RAAus. NOTE: All aircraft featured in the magazine are registered and legally permitted to fly. However, photographs of them may be altered without notice for editorial purposes. The Editor’s Choice column is designed to draw attention to potential safety issues through exaggeration and humour and is not meant to be historically accurate.

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COLUMN

FROM THE CHAIR: MICHAEL MONCK HELPING SECURE OUR FUTURE

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hen I was young I was taught that if it wasn’t hard then it probably wasn’t worth doing. At the same time as that hard work ethic was instilled in me I also developed a passion for aviation.

Some years later I saw trouble with RAAus and so it made sense to do something hard and something worthwhile. I wanted to ensure that RAAus was sustainable for many more years to come and so I got involved. Almost five years down the track I feel that we have turned a corner and the timing could not be more appropriate.

As we go through another set of elections I reflect on what has changed in this time and how it has positively affected our future. The key change in my mind has been the governance and management of our organisation. We moved from a board of passionate aviators that had seen RAAus move from an organisation of a few to one that took a completely different set of skills to run. No longer were we a small group of enthusiastic amateurs but rather a serious group that was turning heads across the aviation industry in Australia. Along with this though came the growing pains that many organisations experience when this happens.

Five years ago we were haemorrhaging cash and failing in our duties that we had committed to. We were failing the regulator, we were failing the broader community and we were failing our members. If we didn’t stem the negative flows of cash we literally only had a few years of survival left. We also had rapid change within management with numerous ops and tech managers leaving in quick succession along with rapid turnover of general managers/ CEOs. Moreover, the pace at which we changed presidents and members of the executive on the board kept many people out of touch with who was who in the zoo.

It took recognition that we didn’t have the required skills to save us from ourselves

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and a significant change of the board to address this.

Since that time we have settled ourselves and we have morphed from a group of enthusiastic individuals on the board, to a group that is made up of people who are passionate about aviation but who also appreciate what it takes to keep us afloat. If you look at the skills we have it now includes people who have experience with governance, finances, legal skills, and so on. If you look back at the years gone by we had people who were good at teaching others to fly. One is conducive to a flourishing organisation, the other is not so compatible with success. This is a step change in our history and one that is bearing fruit.

I have spoken on numerous occasions about the recognition we get, and our ability to hold court with decision makers in government and CASA. We are forming strong relationships with other peak bodies including groups outside of sport aviation (stay tuned for news on some developments we have been working on over the past year with the Australian Airports Association). RAAus is working tirelessly to promote aviation and provides considerable logistical support to AirVenture Australia which is on this month, and at the time of writing had a waiting list for industry participants wishing to exhibit.

In the past five years or so we have made strategic investments in your organisation. Members will have noticed changes in the way we interact with them and indeed I have had many tell me it’s nice that they now hear from us full stop!

RAAus has moved from a paper-based association to a professional operation that conducts business online. When I joined the board we sent out more than 10,000 pieces of paper each year to remind people to renew their membership and/or renew their aircraft registration. Then, when that person replied, we processed their payments by hand, all 10,000 plus of them.

And finally, we sent them more paper.

Today, we process more than 80 per cent of renewals, both membership and registration, using our online portal.

I was gobsmacked at the massive deficits that we ran for many years when I came on board. We were spending copious amounts of money and failing to deliver to all of our key stakeholders. Members were leaving and it seemed that the default response was to charge those that stuck around even more despite service levels declining.

Our employee salaries were growing at a ferocious rate and, if they continued unabated, would have been around $1.5 million this year. This year our salary bill has fallen compared to last year. All of these changes have led to the turnaround of RAAus’ fortunes.

About five years ago we began on a path to recovery. We put in place a very deliberate strategy knowing that this couldn’t be fixed overnight. Having worked in consulting for many years I knew that it would take time to turn things around and the new blood on the board thought the same. While we were still spending money our purpose was very deliberate in that we had to do two things.

The first was to commit to our promise and deliver outcomes. Aircraft had to be registered in a timely manner and members had to be able to fly. Our regulator had to be assured that we were doing things correctly. Given that we were still spending money the second thing we had to do was a little ironic, we had to stop spending money! This was achieved by making strategic spending decisions on things that would generate a return to members.

This year, for the first time since well before I joined the board, all of this effort has borne fruit. We will have a cash surplus of about $300,000 and, after taking into account non-cash items such as depreciation and allowances for staff entitlements,

we will have a positive final financial position of almost $190,000.

This is not due to me or our new CEO, but rather it is due to the measured approach that your board has taken to governing RAAus and securing its future.

Your future!

If you haven’t already voted then I urge

you to consider these things and exercise your vote. Grab the envelope and voting slip and put two simple marks on it next to the people you think can continue to support your organisation in the coming years.

It is very easy to sit back and not take the time to do this but consider this, if it

isn’t hard then it isn’t worth doing. While voting won’t be the hardest thing you do it is not as easy as sitting back and doing nothing. To put it another way, doing nothing is so easy that it is probably not worth doing. Think about it.

Michael Monck

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EVENTS

COLUMN

FROM THE CEO: MICHAEL LINKE

NEW SOUTH WALES CESSNOCK. THURSDAY 20TH TO SATURDAY 22ND SEPT. AIRVENTURE 2018.

The event you must get to is getting closer. Pre purchase your tickets for a great discount.

More details in this issue of Australian Sport Pilot. www.airventureaustralia.com.au ARMIDALE. SUNDAY 23RD SEPTEMBER. Armidale Aero club monthly morning tea and BBQ lunch. Why not saddle up for a nice excuse to go for a fly? Details: 0428242471

SOME NEW FACES

TUMUT. SAT 6TH OCTOBER. THE ANNUAL TUMUT VALLEY FLY IN. A seriously beautiful part of Australia. It’s a great two day social event with an all-day BBQ, dinner Sat night. See website for Airport Lodge accommodation.

As RAAus continues to evolve and develop we have some new faces on deck to help our organisation continue to grow, improve member services and innovate.

WAGGA. SUNDAY 7TH OCTOBER. Looking for a place to fly on a nice Sunday? Wagga Aero Club is hosting its monthly Fly in lunch. $15 buys you a nice feed. Call John Smith on 0408 692 929 for information.

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PORT MACQUARIE. SUN 14TH OCTOBER. HASTINGS DISTRICT FLYING CLUB. Hastings District Flying Club, Port Macquarie will open its facilities to the general public.

Club and member aircraft will be displayed as well as the history of the HDFC. Rod Davidson: 0419 632 477.

QUEENSLAND TOOGOOLAWAH. SATURDAY 20TH TO SUNDAY 21ST OCTOBER. The Skydive Ramblers Post Equinox Boogie held at Toogoolawah, near Brisbane, is Australia's largest international music and skydiving festival and is a visual smorgasbord of skydiving action and parachuting colour. Held every two years in October, the skydiving event encompasses all disciplines of the sport and attracts more than 300 Australian and international skydivers, plus many spectators to the drop zone. www.ramblers.com.au.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA WILLIAM CREEK. SAT 29TH SEPTEMBER TO MONDAY 1ST OCTOBER. Jump in your plane, grab your mates and and your sense of adventure, and come along to the inaugural William Creek Outback Fly-In! It's all happening over the September long weekend, Saturday 29th September - Monday 1st October. You can expect zero landing fees, awesome local live music, a flying competition (spot landing, STOL, flour bombing), accommodation and meal packages at the William Creek Hotel, AFL Grand Final screening, Outback Games, OzRunways and RFDS, and a lot more. Please RSVP on their Facebook event page, and email details of your aircraft and number of passengers to wrightsair@bigpond.com.

ith this in mind, I'd like to introduce Lea Vesic. Lea joins RAAus from the Regional Airline Association of Australia and brings with her commercial pilot experience as well as international business experience. Lea will head up the innovation and improvement team at RAAus, a new team where the focus will be on improving the member experience for all of our members and looking for innovative solutions to problems.

Lea will be joined by two existing staff and a new staff member, Cody Calder. Cody is also a commercial pilot with significant project management and research experience. Both Lea and Cody also hold their RAAus pilot certificates and are looking forward to getting out and meeting members.

Innovation and improvement is crucial to RAAus' continued success. We have achieved a lot in the past four years and to continue that success and to continue to

DON’T MISS OUT ON SPORT PILOT EACH MONTH

JAMESTOWN. SUNDAY 21ST OCTOBER. Saturday Fly in & Airshow Sunday. Enjoy a full day of action jam packed with original and replica vintage aircraft, Warbirds, jets, general Aviation Aircraft, new aircraft, formation and solo aerobatic displays, jet car & pyrotechnics, classic car displays and much more.

VICTORIA

SHEPPARTON. SUNDAY 7TH OCTOBER. The Goulburn Valley Aero Club’s famous pancake breakfast is enticing you to head up and enjoy all you can eat pancakes for $10 and barista coffee for $5. Join the flock and fly on up. Call Lucy on 0435 885 212 for all the details.

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• Let us know about your event • Send in your story Email: editor@sportpilot.net.au Call: 03 5342 4082

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Cody Calder

ADVERTISE AL AVIATION

KYNETON. SATURDAY 6TH OCTOBER. The Kyneton gourmet hot dog brunch is on again.

Enjoy relaxed atmosphere and interesting aeroplanes that are a part of the culture of this lovely country airfield.

deliver on our promise to members we will maintain a keen focus on improving the way we do things.

The key focal points for the team will be member learning and development, organisational safety, and the audit and assurance portfolio. Stay tuned for exciting announcements in these areas in the coming months. Members will get a chance to meet both Cody and Lea at AirVenture in Cessnock as well as many of the other members of the RAAus team.

The main focus for the innovation and improvement team in the coming months will be finalisation of our safety manual and safety management system roll out to schools. Coupled with this will be the development of a quality system, with a focus on audit and assurance in preparation for the introduction of Part 149 next year.

There is much to do at RAAus as we all continue to work hard for our members Michael Linke

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PHOTOS: ??????

FLY-INS

Landing on a river bank.

AIRSTRIP OPTIONAL – FUN ESSENTIAL Tim's Slepcev Storch parked bush flyer style.

Tim Howes relates the joy of the style of flying where nearly every space is a runway.

A

viation events are typically put into two categories; air shows and flyins. However what do you call an event that has no displays so can’t be an airshow, and is based entirely around the concept of meeting up with the sole intention of flying out, not flying in, to explore new untouched locations?

The Facebook group Bush Flyers Down Under call it a muster, and during April in a paddock in Drake, far north NSW, they gathered for the group's fourth annual event, The River Country Muster.

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The three day event focused around bush and off-airport flying with base camp set up in the middle of a 25,000 acre station that has a number of airstrips offering an infinite number of off-airport spots to explore.

The event, open only to BFDU members, saw a mish-mash of aircraft types ranging from hard core fat-tyred STOL planes to low-wing high speed rocket ships.

The common ground is their pilots, who all share a love of the bush and a desire to conquer the untamed. High winds and

coastal showers around NSW and southern QLD hampered many from making it, however it didn’t stop the 17 aircraft that managed to fly in, both fixed wing and rotary, from having an incredible weekend that their occupants will never forget.

As the sun rose, the fog lifts and the numerous kangaroos had their morning feed. Each day started with a pilots’ brief, discussing operations both at base and out and about. Then the pilots meandered to their aircraft while scoffing down a quick bite of breaky. Before long the surround-

ing hills echoed with the roaring sound of props and horsepower as the pilots embarked on the day’s adventures.

The muster offered places to go for all aircraft types. There are a large number of private strips in the local area in stunning riverside and high country locations for the bigger, heavier and faster aircraft to enjoy.

Both the station and nearby local properties gave full permission for attendees to land anywhere on their land opening an abundance of incredible

Despite common belief, the key to bush flying for the most part isn’t the aircraft but the pilot’s ability.

In the right set of hands with the right knowledge base you will be amazed what most aircraft are capable of achieving.

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ridge top, river bank, valley and paddock off-airport landings for pilots of the more lightweight aircraft to test their skills and explore. Many of these places had been landed on before, while many others such as ‘drop bear’, ‘Trapper’ and ‘Both ways’ were pioneered and named for the first time at this year’s event.

So what is the purpose of the River Country Muster? Aside from having a great time exploring stunning scenery and hanging out by the fire with great friends, the event was created with education in mind. In the past, bush and off-airport flyers have been few and far

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between and typically known to just hang in the shadows and keep to themselves.

Flying in different regions and different conditions, pilots develop a range of skills, knowledge and ability based on their experiences. The intention of the Muster is to bring those pilots together to improve and add to each pilot’s skill and knowledge tool kit.

Bush pilots seem to be burdened with a cowboy reputation, however the muster proves this couldn’t be further from the truth with safety being first and foremost in all operations both on the ground and in the air.

Many people believe off-airport operations are dangerous, but during the Muster and as part of this group of pilots that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“The amount of planning, discussing, assessment of self and aircraft, I have never been exposed to before event with my experience flying aerobatics,” said Dave Jardine who bought a Cessna 185 to the event for his introduction to bush flying.

“After the planning and discussion with the more experienced bush pilots, I got into and out of, very comfortably, places I would previously been hard pressed

to consider suitable for an emergency landing. This simple fact alone has made my flying safer by giving me knowledge and the basis of the skills to more confidently assess landing areas,” he said.

“I will be putting the discipline and knowledge to good use in all areas of my flying.”

So what sort of aircraft would you need to bring to attend an event like the river country muster? A tail dragger; something on giant bushwheels; an extreme STOL machine?

Anything that flies is more than welcome at the muster. Despite common

belief, the key to bush flying for the most part isn’t the aircraft but the pilot’s ability.

In the right set of hands with the right knowledge base you will be amazed what most aircraft are capable of achieving.

The key to bush flying before you go to a muster starts at your home airfield with practice and training.

“Before even considering landing a bush strip or an off-airport location, before seeing how short you can land, the importance of being able to hit your aiming point exactly can’t be stressed enough,” said S7 pilot Brett John.

“Take every opportunity you can to

practice touching your wheels right on the spot and don’t event bother leaving the controlled environment of an airfield until that skill is ticked off,” he said.

There is a great deal of literature available all over the internet to help you learn and improve your backcountry flying skills.

There are also a number of flight schools in Australia and overseas that offer bush flying training.

But your first and easiest stops would be websites like www.backcountrypilot. org and the Bush Flyers Down Under page on Facebook to find out more about the sport of bush flying.

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR John Reid comments on his BFR and CTA privileges.

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irst a bit of background, I have held a RAAus pilot licence since 2002 and gained a CASA Recreational Pilot Licence with a controlled airspace endorsement, two years ago. Living and flying out of the north coast of NSW I have a fair bit of controlled airspace to negotiate so I bit the bullet.

The biennial for the two licences are due on the same day, so I approached my local flying school to arrange my biennial.

I was then informed that I would need to do the biennial in a VH registered aircraft and that I would be signed off for both, sounds fair so far.

The aircraft and instructor were booked and we were all set, now this is where it gets strange - the aircraft was a Cessna 175, an aircraft I have never flown before. I was informed that I would need two lessons to complete the biennial – first lesson to familiarise myself with the aircraft and then a further flight to confirm this.

From memory the biannual is a refresher

to pick up any bad habits we may have developed and a debrief on our flying. Flying this 1980s aircraft was enjoyable but quite different from our Jabiru 230D and I have no wish to fly this beast ever again. As for picking any bad habits – my instructor presumably found none. All good, I was signed off for the next two years.

Oh, and then the stinger, more than $840 for the 2.7 hours flying. How I love CASA and their mysterious ways. No disrespect to our local flying club, they are following CASA guidelines.

I have confirmed with my insurance company and have in writing that my coverage is: Private Business & Pleasure Advanced Training & Instruction of Insured (my name) So bring on the RAAus Controlled Space Endorsement where we fly our own aircraft, review our flying habits in the aircraft we fly, and get back to what the biannual is meant to achieve.

Send your letters to: editor@sportpilot.net.au

Rohan Walter has some opinions about angle of attack.

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hen it comes to angle of attack, too few pilots are aware of the principle behind it.

Thank goodness Rob Knight responded to and corrected Charlie Rohrbach’s letter in the June 2018 edition.

Most pilots have been trained using attitude, angle of bank and airspeed for stall awareness.

Recently aware pilots, the military and modern head up display aircraft know the importance of angle of attack.

Even ICON – with their ICON A5 amphibian – have an AoA Indicator as the primary instrument.

Could we please have a feature article written in Australian Sport Pilot by the most knowledgeable trainer possible in this field?

Most aircraft don’t have this feature incorporated but will in the future. Some don’t even have a stall warning indicator.

Dynon and other EFIS manufacturers are including it.

It will save lives and make better pilots.

Paul Smith SI RAAus #13297

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ongratulations on a great magazine edition for July. The variety of articles kept me reading from start to finish, while the photographic work was superb.

In particular there were four articles which struck a chord for me as a senior instructor (nosewheel only), all relating to learning techniques and therefore improved safety.

(1) Luke Bayly’s description of low and slow flight in that transition between round out, flare and touch down was excellent.

Many students get seriously hung up on the landing sequence and rightly so, given the high workload. While upper air work on effects of controls at different power and attitude settings is a cornerstone of the curriculum, I’ve found that students learn more quickly about attitude and power control by flying with the runway horizon as a reference point at just 1-2 feet off the runway. Keeping power at a fixed setting on one pass and playing gently with elevator for attitude, then fixing stick position on the next pass and varying power for lift, can demonstrate their relative effects better than trying it at 3000ft. The low speed also demonstrates the importance of rudder

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authority to ensure good centreline lineup.

Multiple touch downs on the pass finesses their respect for their undercarriage while improving reaction time to prevent RLOC incidents.

(2) Jeremy Miller’s article is well titled because it was a joy to read. Jeremy has listed some basic truths about good teaching, and I would add a few additional ones.

Any student will respond to your critique if it is based on “two strokes for every poke”.

You must balance any corrective instruction with praise for things done well, and it is best to start with the praise first. I’ve experienced the continuous “pokes” when I was learning to fly and my solo experience was seriously impeded by a “poking” instructor.

My solo later occurred with my first flight with a different instructor who had a “stroke and poke” style.

There are typically four levels of learning - Tell, Show, Do, and Teach. As instructors we are clearly teaching, but that includes the other three (3) David Bonnici’s self-doubt admission reminded me of how terrified I was

on my first training area solo session that I wouldn’t be able to find my way back to the airfield, let alone rejoin the circuit with other traffic. It was a reminder for me to pay more attention to my own students’ potential fear of getting lost so close to the field.

(4) Mike Dalton’s flight planning article reminded me of a flight plan I prepared to Narromine (NSW) from Goolwa (SA), 510 nm direct, but over some real tiger country on the SA/Vic border and Lake Alexandrina.

A northerly route via Murray Bridge, Loxton, Mildura, Balranald, Hay, and Griffith only adds an extra 42nm, maybe 25-30 minutes more in a 5+ hour trip, and via some good airfields. A southerly route via Meningie, Pinnaroo, Ouyen, Manangatang, Moulamein, Hay and Griffith adds just 32 nm, perhaps 20-25 minutes. Plenty of comfort stops too, because there’s no way I could manage five hours without one, even if the Jabiru didn’t need to.

Students can be seduced by the direct route, and are surprised when what looks like a real dog-leg route turns out to be just a few minutes more, with better safety.

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

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FEATURE

AERONCA CHIEF – OLD FASHIONED FLYING IN THE MODERN AGE.

Rob Knight gets to enjoy an old classic anyone can hire.

D

on’t take feisty old ladies lightly, they can bite. My grandmother’s words still ring in my ears after I had an altercation with one of her friends when I was little more than a toddler. This philosophical outburst is still relevant, not only in life but also when interacting with little old lady aeroplanes.

Dave Briffa, the friendly CFI at Boonah’s AirsportQLD flying school, invited me to try an absolute classic aeroplane when we were socialising one evening. He was referring to the 1947 Aeronca 11AC Chief that he uses on his flight line for taildragger endorsements and private hire. Owned by Nigel Arnott and Mel Perkins, the aircraft was bought in 2016 from Greg Lovett in Victoria who had been flying her off his own private airstrip.

Sitting on green grass under a blue sky at Boonah, this little red aeroplane instantly transported me back 70 years. Inside was no different with soft leather seats, the oldstyle instrument panel, the automobile-type doors whose latches close with a loud snap alongside automobile handles and slide opening windows, and the central cluster of engine controls. It was exactly what the magazine photographs had displayed in my youth. I felt a reminiscence renaissance coming on.

Start-up was simple: brakes, mags, fuel, primer locked, and carburettor heat off,

“clear prop” through the open window, and the little 85 HP Continental flicked into a soft popping purr. With oil pressure green and the engine warmed, a quick radio call advised traffic that Aeronca 8804 was taxiing for 22. Releasing the park brake with the cleverly disguised brake release under the central panel saw us gently roll across the soft grass.

I was surprised by the low engine noise.

Admittedly an 85 HP engine isn’t spectacular in the audio arena but this was a whole lot less that what I have experienced in Cubs and Austers and the like. The rudder on the ground was very powerful and turns were easy to commence: over-control for a clumsy-footed oaf would quickly lead to embarrassment. The toe brakes helped with tight taxi turns as we checked the circuit for traffic before entering 22 to backtrack.

A classic tail-dragger, her nose sat so high that I cursed my mother for not giving me another three feet in elevation. The only way to taxi safely was to use clearing turns to check ahead. Run-up was simple and the take-off checks were equally basic. A look out showed neither kangaroos nor aircraft, so I advised the local traffic we were lining up to roll 22.

Dave’s warning that the push/pull throttle only went in a little more than half its reach to get full power was right, but left

PHOTOS: MARK SMITH

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SPORT PILOT | September 2018

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

17

Owner Mel Perkins with the Chief.

me with the feeling there was more to come.

Still, the airspeed rose swiftly and I very quickly had an aeroplane on my hands (and feet) that had her own unique personality.

With the stick central, the tail was slower to rise than I anticipated and I took the stick forward a bit to assist. When it did come up it was quick, and it would be easy to over-rotate with excessive control. The end of the runway appeared as she rose onto her main wheels about the same time the nose snapped left with the combination of prop forces. A quick bit of right rudder centrelined the nose. This display of character was right out of my 1960s training text book for the Piper Cub I trained on.

The grassed Boonah runway has gentle humps and approaching 50 knots we started to gently bounce. Easing the stick back a tad flew her off and stopped the slight porpoising, but also resulted in an immediate yaw left indicating the need for more right rudder to keep straight. This little old lady was not taking prisoners, I was working for my money.

A 55 knot climb bought us 500 fpm exactly what she would have given 70 years ago when she was a young lady. Noticeable right rudder was needed to counter the slipstream in the climb, while gentle clearing turns were necessary to see ahead.

Levelling off at 3000ft, I set the power at 2300rpm and let the speed rise to cruise at 70 knots before trimming. Now with

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SPORT PILOT | September 2018

A classic tail-dragger, her nose sat so high that I cursed my mother for not giving me another three feet in elevation. time to look around, the visibility was great downwards. Sitting almost at mid-chord, the wings blotted out the sky laterally and I could only see clearly straight ahead and around. This was very reminiscent of the Cubs, Colts and Tri-Pacers I’ve flown in the past and very typical of aircraft design in the Aeronca’s birth period.

With the wayward wings, lookout had to be proactive and positive and several clearing turns made sure no-one else was sneaking around. Rolling into the turns highlighted that this little girl wrote the book on adverse yaw, and plenty of coordinating rudder was needed to tame the ball and keep it in its cage. However, her powerful rudder made it easy and with care I had little difficulty in keeping my world in place. Taking her into 45° left and right banks showed that she was totally responsive in every way that I could wish. The controls were not light but they were powerful and provided that I used them positively, she would faithfully follow.

There was some tendency to overbank in the level turns but nothing extraordinary.

With rudder appropriate to in-put aileron, she responded impeccably.

Stalls were … what stalls? The basic stall saw her nose-high and just sagging away, still nose-high, as we exceeded her critical angle. The sink accelerated quickly but with her large wing area would never be excessive as long as her wings were level. There was no need to pedal her and there was no tendency to drop a wing. For the power-on stall I used 1700rpm to achieve exactly the same results. They just displayed a slower deceleration and a higher nose attitude at the stall. There seemed to be no right rudder needed to keep straight with the power on while she was decelerating which surprised me. Recovery and return to normal flight was instantaneous in both cases.

I eased the throttle back and descended at 80 knots towards the airfield. It was gorgeous to be flying as the sun sank to the west and the still brightly lit earth was intersected by dark shadows. In the clear air everything stood out sharp and clear.

All too soon we were joining, this

time for runway 04, as the light wind had veered. Lifting the wings as necessary to see around, I established downwind and called my position. The downwind checks were as simple as the others and turning left base I eased the power back.

The speed settled to 55 knots and, with a trickle of power remaining, I trimmed for that attitude. The runway threshold drifted towards us and I turned onto finals with my flare point sitting exactly on the windscreen where I wanted it. In the near still air we slid gently and quietly down the approach into the gathering dusk and the runway rose obligingly towards us. A small addition of power to counter the sink as we crossed the hedge with its dark shadow, and we were at the flare.

Dave’s prior warning of control heaviness in the flare and float was great advice.

The stick felt solid as I dragged the nose up when arresting the sink, and we settled quite gently onto the main wheels as a wheeler.

After a couple of skips on the runway undulations we were down for good as long as I didn’t do something silly, and we rolled out with the tail up. It would be very easy to lift the tail too high and runway-strike the propeller. Full power accelerated us into the next circuit, the landing on which I started a skip/bounce and elected to go around so I didn’t have to fix it.

The last final approach was no different, the conditions making the flight a beautiful experience. The same sink was still there at the hedge but this time I settled into a three-pointer and rolled out to a full stop.

After a U-turn and a back-track to the hangar, we shut down and put her to bed.

This is one memorable aeroplane.

Highly typical of other types manufactured in her birth period, she displays the complete set of challenges that her ilk will require the pilot to meet. Not overburdened with power, every aileron application must have an appropriate rudder application coordinated with it. Her controls are both a little heavier than more modern light aircraft, but also decidedly more powerful and give a surprisingly good response.

This could lead to over-control very easily in a pilot’s initial transition to this type.

My grandmother’s words still fit, there are some old ladies who bite, and must always be taken seriously. They will be taken lightly only at the risk of considerable loss of ego.

But when you do meet their challenge, you realise that they weren’t so bad after all.

They just need taming This venerable old lady has great character and is a great challenge: in some ways an ideal platform to acquire a tailwheel endorsement. The traits she displays are definitely those common to those aeroplanes with the third wheel at the back. Also, where else can you private hire a 1947-born-aircraft. Google the AirsportQLD, Boonah website or call Dave on 0437 852 263. The experience will be rare indeed.

The cockpit-1940's style.

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

19

FEATURE

Amellia with a Red Necked Stint.

LONG DISTANCE FLYING, BIRD STYLE Amellia Formby is a researcher who has learned the best way to study birds is to fly like a bird. Mark Smith reports

P

eople have been flying for little more than 100 years and despite our feelings that we have some form of mastery over the airborne environment, birds are going to beat us every time.

Imagine weighing 30 grams and flying 12,000 km from Siberia to the coast of Australia every year. No glass cockpit, no GPS, and no first class seat to recline in.

Just flying, day and night.

How does this relate to Australian Sport Pilot?

Perth-based zoologist Amellia Formby is planning to use a microlight to fly around the coast of Australia highlighting the vulnerability of native coastal wading birds, many of which perform this amazing migration from Siberia every year. Her circumnavigation is a prelude to a bigger trip which will see her, in a trike, follow the migration of a species of wading bird, the Red-Necked Stint, across the world.

Interestingly, flying isn’t something Amellia had thought about until a chance conversation introduced her to the world

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of flying trikes.

“I had been talking to my friend Carl and he was telling me about his brother flying microlights. He showed me a photograph of him in one he had on his phone and I thought it looked like a lot of fun. I hadn’t actually seen a microlight before then,” she says.

“He told me it’s pretty easy to get your licence and it’s not that expensive. The next day, as I was driving to Bunnings for work, the idea just popped into my head about following the migratory birds in the microlight.”

It was another year before Amellia actually had the courage to start learning to fly. She started learning with Gordon Marshal at York in WA and her own words “absolutely fell in love with it”.

Using a trike to follow birds was the subject of the heartwarming film Fly Away Home, which was based on the work of Bill Lishman who trained Canadian geese to follow his trike to teach them the migration route they should follow.

However Amellia’s work isn’t based on that operation.

“A lot of people ask me about that and, to be honest, I’ve never had any particular reaction to the film. I’ve seen it, and I know this film is wonderful. But it’s not something that I was kind of holding in my mind.

The idea really came about after talking to my friend about flying microlights.”

Amellia can see parallels between her trike and the birds she loves to study.

“I chose to follow the Red-Necked Stint because I like that that’s the smallest shorebird species, and the microlight is like, the smallest of all the aircraft that I chose to fly. The trike also cruises at a similar speed to what the birds will fly, which is around 50kts. It’s a very suitable aircraft for taking the message out into the world that conservation action is about people.“It’s also got an open cockpit so I’m exposed to the elements just like the birds are.”

The project will see her circumnavigate Australia in March 2019, visiting migratory bird habitats and talking about shore-

Flying to Cessnock in her Airborne microlight.

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

21

reayt in g e h T ssie fl Au

Amellia with her trike.

bird conservation at schools around the country before heading off on a trip that will take her to the nesting grounds of the Red Necked stint in Siberia - a journey of 12,500km - planned for 2022.

“The Red-Necked Stint that normally weighs about 20 grams, though they get closer to 30 grams before they migrate, travel from Australia mostly from around south-west Victoria and they generally fly straight across the desert to Broome, and then head directly north up through the Yellow Sea in China, and then all the way up to Siberia.

“The smaller species of shorebirds tend to do it in lots of shorter trips. Having said

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that we’ve got records of Red-Necked Stints doing up to 5000km in one go.”

Amellia explains another species of shorebird, the Bar-Tailed Godwit, does even greater feats of long-distance flying that rivals any long haul jet.

“We know they fly almost the entire distance in one go, over eight or nine days.

They hold the world record for the longest migration of any animal in the world 12,000km over nine days without stopping.

“They have the ability to turn half their brain off to sleep so they actually sleep while flying. Most of the shorebirds seem to have this ability to cope with the huge migrations they make.”

Flying has given Amellia a new way to work with the birds she admires so much, but it has also opened up a new world for her in other ways.

“I’ve become a little bit eager about flying. Yeah, I love aviation, and it’s certainly become a welcome discovery that I have such a great passion to flying and aviation in general. I’ll definitely continue to fly after the flights over. I’m looking to getting a group A fixed wing license as well, and upgrading to RPL, so I can get a controlled airspace endorsement and one looking to gain my flight instructor rating.”

Science came a little later than normal into Amellia’s life, having first worked as a tapestry weaver until a shoulder injury made her reconsider her career.

“After I injured my shoulder I though ‘well I can’t do this for a career so what do I want to do?’ The only other thing I could think of that I really loved, and could see myself doing, was studying animals.

So I went back to uni to get my science degree.”

After seven year’s study she now holds a master of science in behavioural ecology.

Her love of wading birds came before she started her studies.

“Before I started to do my postgrad zoology course, I got involved with different volunteer groups around Melbourne. One of those was the Victorian Wader Study Group. Just learning about wading birds migration, how far they travel, how little they are, and all the physiological changes their bodies go through, just so they can undertake this migration feat every year, is just mind-boggling, it’s phenomenal! We put numbered metal bands and separate coloured plastic flags engraved with letters on the birds’ legs, so that we can identify individuals. From these bands we know some of them are more than 20 years old. So that means that they’ve flown the equivalent distance to the moon just on migration alone! That’s incredible to me.

“Then you learn that species such as the Bar-Tailed Godwit could be extinct in 10 years, yet people have never even heard of these shorebirds and what they can do.

I want to take the message out that conservation across the world is so important.”

Humankind was inspired to fly by watching birds. It’s fitting that people like Amellia want to use aviation to spread the message that they need protecting if we are to prevent losing species forever.

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THE BRIEF ON BRIEFING A good pre-flight brief can lead to a safer flight. Mark Smith explains

P

sychologists will tell you that in the event of an emergency most people default to the position they have hopefully thought about and practiced. Usually the more recent the rehearsal, the better the response.

It may sound a bit Zen-like but thinking out loud when you are on your own, nowhere near an aeroplane, going through just what you would do if the engine fails on take-off, is a great way to build the skills that become second nature when things go wrong.

A good habit to get into is to rehearse every flight before you do it. If it’s a long cross country go to Google maps and look at the terrain. What are the safest routes? Picture the flight in your mind.

Imagine an emergency. Where do your hands go? What are you looking at?

During the flight go through immediate actions. Electrical failure? Partial engine failure? It doesn’t have to dominate your thinking to the detriment of enjoying the flight but it helps to keep you in the loop.

This also applies to the take-off safety brief you give to both your passengers and yourself. Anyone who has been through military flight training will be aware of how seriously they take their briefs. Early in the process hearing the instructor say: “If I say eject, eject, eject you will follow procedure and depart the aircraft. If you fail to leave I will give you one more command to eject. Then I will eject, and you become aircraft commander,” is a great wake up call.

But again military pilots are taught to go through every aspect of the proposed flight while they are on the ground.

We might not have bang seats in civilian singles but the message is still the same: what you rehearse in your mind just before you take the runway has a very big effect on how you handle an emergency.

Good planning involves preparation.

So what can a good take off brief look like? Here’s an example of the questions you can ask yourself before start.

Which runway will I be using?

What type of takeoff is going to be performed? Normal, rolling, short field, soft?

What will I do if I lose the engine during the takeoff roll? What about an engine loss at 50ft? 500ft?

What are the critical V speeds for this particular aircraft? In RAA operations we like to know best climb which is also normally best glide.

The process involves more than parroting the same phrases but rather involves considering all actions and having a quick rehearsal of them in your mind. It’s a great idea to sit in the aeroplane and go through the immediate actions you’d take if you had an engine failure at 50ft. It doesn’t hurt to chat to an experienced instructor about it either.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever read came from a test pilot. He said “most pilots are surprised when the engine fails,

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SPORT PILOT | September 2018

whereas I’m always surprised when they don’t fail!”

So a good brief might be; This will be a normal take-off. We will depart on runway 24 with an initial altitude of 3000ft. Vr is 50kts and Vy is 67kts. If we have any problems before rotation or with adequate runway remaining after lift-off, we will abort. Standard emergency procedures will be used in the event of engine failure without adequate runway remaining. I will aim for the field slightly to the right of the runway.

Best glide is 65 KIAS. We won’t even think about returning to this airport unless we are above 1000 AGL. It’s best to say this part out loud, even if you are solo.

If you are flying into an unfamiliar airport it’s always prudent to have a good look, from circuit height, of the area beyond the end of each runway, with a mind towards picking where you can head if the fan goes quiet. You might be staying a few days and departing on a different runway than you came in on. A few minutes extra in the air exploring your options could be the difference between a successful forced landing and a painful one.

Briefing passengers is equally important. While we don’t want to scare the non-flyers we carry, it is important they know just what’s what in the aeroplane. How to release the seatbelt for one. Sounds basic? They do the passenger brief about the seatbelt on airliners for a very good reason; in real emergencies panicking passengers have forgotten to undo their seatbelt and try and leave their seat with it still on. Show the passenger how to open their door and then get them to do it. Some RAAus aeroplanes have two catches.

The brace position is also important, even though we have shoulder harnesses.

If you fly the same aeroplane, with the same people all the time, it’s a good idea to practice an emergency evacuation, especially if your aircraft only has one door. Make sure your passengers understand how to open the door, where the fire extinguisher is and what direction to head when they exit. If you have children in the back make sure the right seat passenger is briefed that they will be responsible for getting the child out on the ground if the pilot is incapacitated.

Safety grows from thorough planning. Planning creates safety because it manages a flight before the first turn of the propeller.

Even better, practice and proficiency in planning builds a distinction between thoroughness and rigidity. That combination of discipline and flexibility is where safety is created. As the allied supreme commander in World War II, General Eisenhower said “plans are nothing, planning is everything”.

The more work you do on the ground to make the flight safer means the more you get to enjoy being in the air, confident you can manage any eventuality.

Go to www.sportpilot.net.au to listen to a variety of pilots perform their take off briefs.

The partnership has safety at it’s core with Australian Red Bull pilot and RAAus member, Matt Hall delivering a number of safety initiatives.

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SPORT PILOT | September 2018

25

FEATURE

AN EVENT YOU CAN’T MISS

Hopefully you’ve made your plans to be at AirVenture. Here’s a rundown of what’s going to be happening.

A

irVenture is much more than a simple gathering of enthusiasts admiring their aircraft, though that’s a fun thing to do.

Want to know more about using OzRunways? There is are three seminars over the three days of the event that will help you use your electronic flight bag in ways you couldn’t imagine. You’re an AvPlan user? Same deal. They are holding seminars to teach you everything you need to know about their software and how to use it to the best of its abilities.

Dynon are holding briefings about their latest products. That’s a great one to go to!

The list is on the next page so go over it and make your plans.

Safety is a big theme in the seminars

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SPORT PILOT | September 2018

with Matt Hall leading the charge of presentations about how to stay safe while enjoying one of the greatest pastimes on earth.

There is no shortage of exhibitors with all of the big names showing their products including Foxbat, Tecnam, Bert Flood, Cirrus, Global Aviation and many many more.

Then there’s the airshow on Saturday.

Be thrilled by Matt Hall, Paul Bennet, the RAAF and other exciting acts.

This spectacular event is taking place in the beautiful Hunter Valley, with wineries, a unique zoo and golf courses among the myriad of attractions for the members of the family who don’t find aviation their thing.

At the airfield there will be a kids area with rides, inflatables and a flight simulator.

One of the best things about flying in to an event is retiring under the stars of an evening, camping by your plane among fellow pilots.

AirVenture is offering pilots the opportunity to camp under wing on-site between Wednesday September 19 and Sunday September 23. There are amenities available and there will be food and drink available to purchase on-site.

Whether you decide to fly in for one night or four, one flat fee of $30 will secure your site for the duration of the event. The number of campsites is strictly limited and they will sell out. If you are planning to fly in to AirVenture Australia, don't delay in locking in your site.

This is the biggest recreational flying event available to people who love all things to do with aviation. It’s a chance to see what’s new in recreational aviation as well as learn how to fly safer and more efficiently. Plus it’s a great chance to just get together with a huge bunch of like-minded people and enjoy the camaraderie that aviation promotes.

Wednesday 19th Room 1 1700 Exhibitor Briefing Thursday 20th 1100 1200

Room 1 Volunteer Briefing RAAus Member Forum

Room 2 Pilot Briefing L1/HAM

1300

BFR pre-briefing

Five steps to aircraft selection

1400 1500 1600

Decision Making What’s new at Dynon? Certified Avionics and Portable Products BFR post-briefing

OzRunways Tutorial Australian Sport Pilot - Meet the Editor Runway Safety

Friday 21st 0800 0900

Room 1 Volunteer Briefing Runway Safety

Room 2 Pilot Briefing RAAus Member Forum

1000

Practical Application of GAF/ GPWT Forecasts in Flight Planning COMING SOON COMING SOON

Ground Theory = Flying Fun

AMSA’s role in Aviation Search and Rescue Flight Planning - Time waster or life saver?

CTA for RAAus

CASA AvSafety—Enhancing pilot skills in a dynamic environment WIAW - Past, Present, Future

Marketing Beyond the Runway

Digital and Analogue C-Bus instrumentation-you can have them both AvPlan Electronic Flight Bags

Engaging youth in aviation

Electric Aircraft

What’s new at Dynon? Certified Avionics and Portable Products Why is my radio so crappy?

Room 2 Pilot and Airshow Briefing OzRunways Tutorial

Room 3

Room 4

1100

Girls in aviation/STEM

Become an Aviator

1200

Spitfires over Normandy: The Australian experience.

Preparing for your first flight

Jabiru - The 30 year journey continues The Magic Behind Your Glass Panel Introduction of Tecnam CS23 certified aircraft Electric aircraft

Manned with Unmanned (Drones)

1000

Room 1 Volunteer Briefing Using technology to log every flight Matt Hall Safety Seminar

1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 Saturday 22nd 0800 0900

BFR A weight increase for RAAus

ATC Communications with Confidence

Room 3 Aviation Business Insights Australian Sport Pilot - Meet the Editor RAAus Insurance Products and Member’s Liability Hunter Aerospace AvPlan Electronic Flight Bags

Room 4 Hunter Aerospace The Magic Behind Your Glass Panel Marketing your school Meet the team - RAAus

Instructor experience with the OzRunways Q&A Aeropilot Legend and handling long distance navigation training.

Room 3

Room 4

Overview of Angel Flight

BREEZYLOG - Taking aircraft record keeping into the 21st Century.

Tecnam Overview - Australia and OzRunways Tutorial Italy G6 and Vision Jet Let’s talk about speed in the LSA environment OzRunways Q&A

Composite Materials Using technology to log every flight Converting a Mazda rotary engine for Aircraft use Corrosion Control

From Idea to Air Race OzRunways Q&A

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

27

PILOT PROFILE PHOTOS: EMMA MURRAY/ CENTRALIAN ADVOCATE

KEEPING A FLYING DYNASTY ALIVE The outback is still a tough environment for aviation. Mark Smith talks to a third generation pilot with a connection to an early Australian aviator.

T

he name Connellan is very familiar to older people in the Northern Territory thanks to the iconic outback flying company that EJ Connellan started in 1939.

It went on to become an airline which served the people of northern Australia until it ceased operations in 1980.

Ed Connellan is EJ’s grandson and while he never met his grandfather he has carried on the tradition of flying in the outback, though as a helicopter pilot. More recently he decided to head down another path and obtained his RAAus rating with Ian Downes at Alice Springs Aero Club.

Ed tried to forge a career away from aviation but the pull towards flying proved too great.

“My first memory of flying was with my dad in our Cherokee 180. He used to tell me stories about my grandfather and how tough it was flying in the outback in those days,” he says.

“When I left school I did a bit of work

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SPORT PILOT | September 2018

as a jackaroo. I spent some time at university trying to do other things. I know aviation is a pretty tough career in a lot of ways and I got about half way through an engineering degree and then decided I just had to fly. So I shipped myself off to a flying school down at Moorabbin.”

Ed chose to fly helicopters and learned with The Helicopter Group at Moorabbin Airport in around 2007. His first job was at Uluru before becoming chief pilot for a helicopter company in Alice Springs.

“The flying I was doing made me a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. We did mustering, search and rescue, filming and sling - all sorts basically. We also did a lot of incendiary work creating controlled burns and government work for the National Parks.

“I really quite liked it because there are still a few unique challenges. Flying in that part of the world there is very little support in terms of places for fuel. We’d quite often have to sling load fuel out to

remote areas we were going to operate in.

There is very little en route help so you are very much on your own. We had a policy that we never took off without a couple of ELTs and survival kits.

“While it’s certainly not the pioneering sort of spirit my grandfather had back in the 40s and 50s, it’s still very much a place where you have to take your survival into serious consideration when you are flying.”

Ed decided to get his RAAus endorsement after choosing to take a break from commercial helicopter flying. With a young family he’s decided to stay at home for a while, creating a biodynamic farm and tourist venture.

“I have a commercial fixed wing licence that I don’t really use and I wanted to do a bit of flying to get back into the swing a little bit, but I don’t like doing flight reviews without learning something new.

So I thought I’d get my RAAus ticket just to learn a bit about low inertia aircraft.”

Instructor Ian Downes with Ed.

Like a lot of pilots trained on general aviation aircraft he found coming to terms with the lower weight a challenge.

“It’s interesting as someone who has come from the general aviation world I’m still coming to terms with low inertia aspect of the aircraft. Even flying gliders I found they are more forgiving. So I like the fact that it requires quite precise flying to operate safely. I’m not going to say they’re any more dangerous but they just force you to fly in a more precise way which I like.

“The aircraft are interesting as well.

There is a lot of sophistication, like glass cockpits, on light sports aircraft that you certainly don’t find on an old 172.”

At Alice Springs, RAAus training is undertaken early in the morning when the air is smooth. Ed went the other way and flew during the middle of the day.

“For better or for worse being a commercial pilot with all of the qualifications

to fly in controlled airspace I tended to do my flying and mix it with the jets coming in during the heat of the day. It was a little bumpy especially with rotary being a very smooth form of transport. I’m not a big fan of bumps but yeah we did get thrown around a little bit.”

Ed has a great perspective on bush flying in the early days thanks to the stories his father told him about his grandfather.

“I grew up on a lot of interesting stories involving the efforts and the selfless nature of pilots who, after conducting a forced landing in the bush, left passengers behind and went back to Alice Springs and then jumped in another aircraft to go back and rescue the passengers they had left behind.

“In my grandfather’s era he’d measure engine failures by how many dozen he had in a year. Statistically in my career it’s unlikely I’ll ever face that. It’s interesting how we’ve shifted from a focus on the mechan-

ical aspects, so in years gone by there was a lot of emphasis put on learning how to repair your engines if you’re forced down in the bush.

“My experience going through aviation has shifted and the focus is now almost entirely on the human factors that go into safely operating an aircraft, be it helicopter or an RAAus machine. We’ve now reached a point where potentially the pilot is very much the weakest link in the chain.”Now that he has his endorsement he plans on making his wife his first passenger.

“I love sharing my passion in aviation and my poor wife has been quick to point out that she hasn’t had a ride for a while.

She was the first passenger I ever took in a glider and in a fixed wing aeroplane.

“To top it off we got engaged sitting on top of the highest peak in the Northern Territory courtesy of the helicopter. So we both enjoy our aviation a lot.”

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

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FROM THE OPS TEAM

NORMALISATION OF DEVIANCE —

DIAGNOSING AND MANAGING AIRCRAFT INFLIGHT ISSUES

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e have all flown an aircraft where something didn’t seem quite right.

Whether a flickering oil pressure gauge, a strange noise while taxiing or inflight or that nagging feeling you have forgotten something or something isn’t right with the aircraft. The “inner pilot voice” niggle should make a pilot pay attention.

Members may remember in previous Pilot Talk articles we talked about normalisation of deviance when flying an aircraft.

This article is intended to raise awareness of other occasions where normalisation of deviance may relate to possible mechanical issues, troubleshooting of these issues and deciding if a flight should be continued when things don’t seem quite right.

Normalising anything when operating an aircraft is potentially dangerous. It is even more so when related to flight training. If a student is told by the instructor that it is acceptable to operate an aircraft with an unserviceable instrument which is not placarded unserviceable, or told it is ok to operate the aircraft outside a normal operating range, if a door latch is not working as it used to, or a seatbelt becomes diffi-

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cult to undo, this normalises something that is not right. It may seem acceptable to operate with a specific limitation, problem or issue, but the instructor is effectively telling students that accepting items not to standard is ok. Human nature is also to blame, as we often accept changes as part of doing business as usual, however when it comes to operating an aircraft this has the potential to cause problems.

Likewise as a society, we accept and expect aircraft to operate safely, be designed properly and fly without too many issues. We can confidently book a commercial flight to any destination and expect to get there. This kind of thinking may filter down to private flying as well. As a result, we might be more inclined to see a small variance or change as not critical to ongoing safe operation of the aircraft.

Engines often indicate developing issues in quite subtle ways, a slightly higher oil temperature not explained by ambient conditions, a change in the regular oil pressure reading, a sudden RPM change, difficulty starting the engine or worst of all, an intermittent problem in flight, which

by definition only happen now and again.

While not a given in every circumstance, engine warning signs should make pilots sit up and take notice as the final event may become catastrophic. This is also why regular practice of glide approaches and emergency procedures is so important.

Aircraft can provide some of the same subtle signs, by not responding as they used to, by indicating wear or movement in hinges, by making noises pilots haven’t heard before or by showing a change in paint, metal or fabric damage.

A review of the RAAus Occurrence Management System (OMS) provides some real world scenarios which should provoke food for thought and robust hangar discussions for pilots.

Strange noises in aircraft should be a cause for increased pilot attention. A pilot reported a flight in which they heard a repeated tapping noise. On landing soon after, due to concerns about this unusual noise, it was discovered a wing root fairing, which wrapped around the leading edge of the wing and was secured with Velcro had become dislodged due to poor po-

sitioning during previous maintenance.

Simply by securing the fairing correctly, the pilot corrected the issue and continued with the flight with no further issue. If this had not been corrected, it is possible the fairing may have worked its way loose and caused damage or interference with flight controls, with potentially disastrous consequences.

A smell of fuel which was not normally noticed in the cockpit was another reported issue, which was due to a fuel line clamp loosening and allowing a small amount of fuel to leak into the cockpit. Needless to say, this could have been catastrophic if not corrected.

Another report involves an aircraft which completed an annual service. This annual service included replacing the coolant, which required dilution (as per the manufacturer maintenance manual).

When the owner received the remaining portion of coolant back, he noted too much coolant had been used if the manufacturer’s dilution requirements had been met. The engine subsequently ran far hotter than previously and when the L2 was asked to explain, advised the owner that the temperature sensor was faulty and to continue to operate the engine as usual. Fortunately the owner elected to request another L2 replace the coolant with correctly diluted coolant and the overheating issue did not return.

Making sure you or your L2/LAME are familiar with the aircraft and engine type is therefore a key consideration. Knowing

what the usual temperature and pressure ranges are, knowing how the engine usually starts, or noting how the controls normally feel provides a baseline for what is normal, so you can judge when operations are not normal.

The common thread to all these reports (and there are many more) is the pilot noted the changed circumstance, no matter how trivial it appeared and refused to accept this as appropriate. By refusing to normalise the deviance and resolving the issue, one of the holes in the Swiss

cheese which are intended as defences in preventing accidents from occurring was closed.

Bottom line, if the aircraft or engine is noted by the pilot, instructor or the student as operating differently to the previous flight/s, indicates something different to expected parameters, didn’t make that noise the last time the aircraft was flown or varies in some way to previous experience, stop and think, are you normalising a deviance and putting yourself and the aircraft at risk?

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

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PILOT PROFILE PILOT PROFILE

THE PIET – AFROM SMALLTHE AIRCRAFT LEARNING BEST WITH A BIG PERSONALITY

A veteran ag pilot is still passing on the art of aviation to anyone keen to learn its ways.

Mark Smith caught up with him.

Wing Commander Ric Peapell explains why an RAAus homebuilt can be as much fun as a Hornet.

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here is something to be said for walking out to the aircraft that you are about to go flying in and it could almost fit in your lounge room. The Pietenpol Air Camper (the Piet) is one such aircraft. It is not big, but it does have a big personality. This one was part of the incredible collection owned by The Australian Vintage Aviation Society (TAVAS) which has a flying museum at Caboolture, just north of Brisbane.

I started flying when I was 16 years old - I got my private pilot licence and eventually my commercial licence. Like many, I had to do this slowly as the funds distribution was always balanced between flying and the next most important things in life - food and electricity bills. I have now been flying general aviation aircraft for the past 30 years and overlaid with that has been 20 years with the RAAF. Over the years I have flown some of the post powerful and high tech aircraft

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around, but today was going to be different. I was hoping that my nine years flying (all the RAAF variants of) the F-111 and more recently, my time on the F/A-18F Super Hornet would count for something when I strapped this incredible little aircraft on and got airborne.

The Piet isn’t the most powerful aircraft, nor the fastest, but it promises to be a lot of fun and certainly will take me back to the basics of pure hands and feet flying.

There are no fancy computers to assist with flight controls, and no high tech navigation systems to point me to where I need to go.

This is going to be all me.

As I understand it, the Piet was designed by Bernard H. Pietenpol back in 1928 to be the “best possible performance from a Model A motor, to be easy to fly, and to get the most flying hours from the money invested” – one of the first home built/kit aircraft. The idea of being able to build an aircraft like the Piet and then

enjoy the simplicity and pure hands and feet flying that it presents is something I believe every pilot would love to have the time and energy to do.

For this first flight I jump in the front seat with the owner in the back showing me the ropes – showing me what the aircraft is capable of doing. The front seat of this Piet is very simple with the only instrument being an airspeed indicator – no altimeter, no tachometer, just an ASI – somewhat different to what I am used to in the fighter. It is going to be back to basics for this flight.

It really doesn’t make a difference what aircraft you are flying, whether it is the Piet, an airliner or a Super Hornet, that old rule of power + attitude = performance will always keep you out of trouble. In the Piet, it’s pretty much all you’ve got.

The ground ops are as you would imagine from any tail wheel aircraft – no surprises here. The take-off, albeit a little slower than I am used to, was exactly what

I was hoping for – the open cockpit, the vibration of the engine and the ability to fly in formation with the local bird population made it one of the most incredible flights I have ever done. Holding accurate attitudes and getting my feet moving again to keep that skid ball centred (not required so much in the fighter) meant that the Piet would perform beautifully. After a short stint in the area to get the feel for how the aircraft handled we were heading back to the airfield for some circuits. Now was really the time to get those feet moving again.

I had the chance to watch as the first circuit was flown from the back seat. Attitudes, speeds, power settings – I needed to make sure I took it all in before it was my turn. I didn’t have a velocity vector or the pitch ladder of the Super Hornet to help me. Nor did I have the flight control computers accounting for any disturbance to my flight path as a result of wind and turbulence. This was all me.

Being that the aircraft cruise speed was around 60kts, the circuit operations were

Getting the opportunity to get airborne in an RAAus type aircraft such as the Pietenpol really does bring everything back to its basics. quite tight. We didn’t venture too far from the threshold which meant that should something go wrong with the engine, we could always glide back to the runway.

Power + attitude = performance was even more important now.

My previous tailwheel experience had been some 20 years prior to this flight, so I was interested to see how my feet were going to respond. In the Super Hornet, we would fly an angle of attack (alpha) approach, holding approximately 8 degrees all the way to touch down – no flare. This was how the US Navy would land on the boat, and we did the same thing on land.

As I approached the runway, I had to make sure I remembered to round out and flare.

Flying an alpha approach in the Piet would

not turn out too well. Thankfully, the hands and feet remembered what they needed to and we got on the ground with little coaching from the back seat.

After a few stop and gos, things were starting to fall back into place and it looked like the skills I had developed back when I first learnt to fly, and carried through my years of flying fast jets, were really no different to what was needed in the Piet.

Whether someone has been flying the most advanced airliner or military fast jet, getting the opportunity to get airborne in an RAAus type aircraft such as the Pietenpol really does bring everything back to its basics. It allows you to continue to develop those core flying skills at a very respectable price.

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

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PILOT PROFILE PHOTOS: MARK SMITH

FEATURE

THE MAGNUSFROM EFFECT LEARNING THE BEST

A pilot aircraft is still in passing onstable. the artMark of aviation Yetveteran another ag beautiful the RAAus Smith gottotoanyone fly her. keen to learn its ways.

Mark Smith caught up with him.

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erodynamicists will tell you the Magnus effect involves the air movement around spinning objects affecting their direction. It’s even been used to create spinning wings on aircraft that have successfully flown.

But there is another form of the Magnus effect and it has nothing to do with spinning balls but rather involves the huge smile that erupts on a pilot’s face as they fly the Magnus Fusion212, a new LSA that has been imported into Australia aimed at advanced training and the high-end sports market.

Like many composite aircraft on the market today the sculptured lines make the aircraft look like it’s moving when it’s sitting on the ground. Power is from a Rotax 912 ULS developing 100hp and the demonstrator had a ground adjustable DUC Inconel Flash three blade propeller.

An electric constant speed unit is an optional extra.

The second thing you notice as you walk around the Magnus is just how big it

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is. It’s not a small LSA by any means.

The tinted canopy hinges forwards revealing a spacious cockpit with leather seats, four point harnesses and a Dynon Skyview EFIS. Entry is from the rear of the wing and once seated in the left seat with Australian dealer Rod Flockhart in the right, the full extent of just how roomy the aeroplane is becomes apparent.

The seat is slightly canted backwards and very comfortable. A bright red handle in the centre of the panel reminds you this aircraft is equipped with a ballistic recovery system, something that is becoming increasingly common in light sport aircraft.

The throttle sits in a slot on the centre console and falls easily to hand. Electric trim is on the control stick, with the position indicator on the panel. There is also a small switch for the electric flaps on the panel, which also incorporates the flap position indicator.

With the canopy down and locked it was time to wind up the Rotax. It started first touch of the key. There is no nose-

wheel steering, with the nose leg simply castoring, but the large rudder combined with a touch of power kept things moving straight on the taxiway at Archerfield, with only an occasional tap of toe brake needed to keep it straight.

With run-ups completed we lined up on RWY 10. Rod had warned me the Magnus was still a touch pitch sensitive, something they are working on with the gearing of the elevator circuit.

Full power and the acceleration was brisk. With the elevator out of the propeller slip stream it needed a positive pull to break ground and then the sensitivity in pitch kicked in leading to a few pilot induced oscillations while I got the feel of the aircraft.

I found the best way to dampen out any unwanted pitch excursions was to fly with my hand on my leg and hold the stick with my fingers.

Climb with two people was about 800fpm at 80kts indicated and she flew through the late afternoon bumps smoothly. Once past the CTA step we climbed to

Glass cockpit, leather interior.

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

35

Agent Rod Flockart.

3000ft and it was time to play.

Roll is slightly on the heavy side but that’s desirable in an aircraft like this which is basically going to be used as a tourer.

That said it was a lot of fun pulling very steep turns and then reversing. Rod plans to make the ailerons a touch lighter and the elevator a touch heavier. While its first purpose is as a tourer or advanced trainer, the design really does scream ‘fly me hard’!

The wing design does come from an aerobatic heritage and the design is stressed to +6 and -3G. The aircraft has flown aerobatics in Hungary where it’s manufactured but RAAus aircraft are prohibited from doing aerobatics in Australia.

Straight line flying to gauge speed and it was indicating 130kts with a TAS of 140 at 5200rpm burning 16lph. That’s a nice 21knot buffer below the Vne of 151kts indicated.

With the sun dipping lower in the sky and a photoship waiting it was time to head back. Left downwind for RWY 10 and first stage of flap went down at 80kts, with

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base leg being flown at about 75kts with the second stage of flap, down to 60kts over the fence. By now I’d got used to the pitch and so a nice hold off led to a slightly bumpy landing.

After the air-to-air photoshoot was over and the aircraft was tucked away in its hangar it was time to ask Rod how he came to be the Australian agent for the Magnus.

“Two years ago I was looking at options for becoming a dealer and to have something at the flying school that was a bit more advanced than the Eurofoxes we do our training on. I had a look at some designs and even flew a few but I just didn’t like any of them,” he says “I was literally Googling around the world seeing what was available and this came up and I went ‘wow.’ I wondered if it flew as well as it looked, and if it was built well enough.

“The only way to find out was to fly to Hungary, which I did with a mate who is also a former airline pilot. We ended up at a little airfield 20km out of Budapest

and I flew it with the test pilot from the company. Straight away I knew it was the aeroplane I wanted to bring in. Garbor was the test pilot and he kept saying ‘this is an aggressive aircraft, it’s aggressive’ and it is.

He’s the son of a Mig 21 pilot so he’s the real deal. It is what it is, an aggressive LSA. It reminded me of my Cassutt Racer or a watered-down Extra 300.”

The design started life as a two-seat version of the Corvus 540, made famous

by Peter Besenyei of Red Bull racing fame.

It was named the Corvus Fusion, shared the wing and tailplane from the racing version, but had side by side seating. The company producing the aircraft went broke and investors resurrected the design, reducing its weight and aiming it squarely at the LSA market. The Magnus Fusion 212 still has the same wing design as the original, with a weight reduction since it doesn’t need to be able to withstand the 20g load a Red Bull aircraft does.

“The factory pumped the wing up to 12Gs and the skins started buckling off the

carbon fibre spars but it didn’t break,” Rod says.

“So it’s still pretty strong. As RAA go further into spinning and emergency maneuver training possibly the Magnus could be at the forefront of that. There’s talk about it so we’ll wait and see what happens.”

For the moment Rod is happy to have an aeroplane on his line that catches the eye, and causes the heart to race of every pilot who looks at it.

“I wanted it for my school for the ‘wow’ factor. The Eurofoxes that do all the ab initio training are a bit of the ugly ducklings of the training world. They are really capable but I wanted an aircraft that looks beautiful and is a step up from aircraft like the Foxes or the Slings that do 90 to 100kts.

“That said if someone came along who had sold their Cirrus and was looking for an aircraft that costs a quarter the price and runs on 16lph I’d happily sell them one.”

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

37

COLUMN

DALTON ON SAFETY WHAT TO WEAR, WHAT NOT TO WEAR

People don’t look at the clothes they wear when flying as a safety tool.

But Mike Dalton thinks they should

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ook around at pretty much every airshow these days and you will see a plethora of suave-looking hotshots swanning around the apron wearing one of those super cool looking flight suits.

There’s green ones and blue, grey and black and the odd tan coloured one as well (no one seems game to wear bright orange) and once in the cockpit, gloves and a flight helmet or “bone dome” usually round out the costume. Really the only thing missing is the waxed handlebar moustache and an air raid siren wailing in the background.

We often jest about those wearing flight suits and the rest of their costume, but they are a truly practical garment to wear in the cockpit and they do add a significant safety benefit. But why is their use limited to just the warbird community and the professional pilots in emergency services? Why don’t all pilots wear them as a matter of course? Is it because we see them purely as part of the costume rather than sensible, practical safety clothing?

I wear a green one when flying a trusty PA28 on duty for the Australian Air Force Cadets because it’s the required uniform but otherwise I try to dress sensibly and with personal protection in mind.

Generally speaking, you are more likely to have an accident driving to the airport these days than actually going for the flight. But in the air we are exposed to a different level of risk than on the roads and the results of an accident can potentially be worse, so I think we should give it a bit more consideration. Also while they are becoming more available as time goes on, the vast majority of our time in the cockpit is sans airbags unlike when we are in the car and if we experience a fire in the car we can generally pull over to the roadside and get out.

The aeroplanes we fly present different risks in terms of potential injury. The Bushby Mustang I used to fly had the fuel tank immediately behind the instrument panel – that’s 50 litres of avgas in my lap; my Cessna 195 has the wing carry through right behind my head and the Birddog I fly from time to time has a swag of radios and other military gear either side of my head.

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I always fly the “Dawg” with a bonedome but not the 195 which arguably has just as much potential for a head injury, especially if she were to go over on her back during an emergency landing. Interestingly the pilot that test flew my 195 after its import wore a bonedome exactly for that reason!

So what can we do to protect ourselves short of the full Biggles garb?

With fire in mind, the first thing is to choose your clothing carefully. The fire resistant clothing available outside of the aviation market is expensive and frankly not that attractive so 100% cotton or wool is the go and not just on the outer layer. A synthetic t-shirt will stick to you like glue under your cotton shirt and under your nomex flight suit for that matter. Good ‘ol denim jeans are hard to beat and a merino pullover will be warm and lightweight as well as being as fire tolerant as you can get without nomex. It goes without saying that long sleeve shirts and pants are a must as is quality leather footwear. T-shirts and shorts (even if 100% cotton) are inadequate as are thongs, synthetic footwear or, god forbid, bare feet! Nomex gloves are a wise investment, should not send you broke and are now available with pads on the fingertips so you can still use your iPad. I’ve done some web surfing to see what clothing is available for pilots and what is available is either very expensive or downright scary. The traditional white pilot shirt widely used by charter pilots and instructors is 65% polyester and those blue flight jackets worn on top of them are 100% nylon – what a combination and I strongly urge pilots not to wear them! I did find nomex shirts available, although not aimed at pilots. But at $48 for a t-shirt, $220 for a long sleeve shirt and $383 for a pullover my shopping cart was starting to look a tad like a visit to an Armani store.

Protecting your head is a bit more of a challenge inasmuch as it will cost you real money. The cheapest option I’ve found enables you to click your headset into a helmet shell and starts around $USD210 from Spruce. They don’t look as substantial as a full helmet but an old mate who flew 10,000hrs aerial ag used one for years and

swore by it. Moving up the scale somewhat, something like a Gentex HGU/55P will set you back around $1200 and then more expensive again is your MSA Gallet range.

Helmets in a lot of cases are simply impractical and in many aircraft are probably overkill. That said, you should carefully assess the likelihood of head trauma in the event of an accident and wear one if the risk is high. Many modern homebuilts have a bubble canopy and not much rollover protection – the aforementioned Bushby Mustang had no protection whatsoever and in hindsight a helmet should have been a must for me. At the other end of the spectrum, the Chieftain I flew on charter ops presented much less risk in terms of cockpit obstacles and the most likely accident I would face in that was a wheels up which would be unlikely to cause me a head injury.

So there are a few considerations for personal safety that we can look at if the full flight suit and helmet doesn’t appeal.

But in actual fact, from a fire risk perspective at least, the flight suit option (with gloves) is actually the cheapest, most practical and most effective way of providing a level of personal protection in the cockpit regardless of what we fly.

Remember however that Nomex flight suits and fire protective clothing will not necessarily save you from burns in a fiery crash. But they should give you more time to get the door or canopy open and clear the aircraft.

PS: don’t forget what your passengers are wearing – they’re just as important as you are especially, according to my daughter, your children.

SO YOU’VE HAD A CLOSE CALL? Why not share your story so that others can learn from it too? If we publish it, we’ll give you $500.

Email us at fsa@casa.gov.au Articles should be between 450 and 1000 words.

If preferred, your identity will be kept confidential.

If you have video footage, feel free to submit this with your close call.

Please do not submit articles regarding events that are the subject of a current official investigation.

Submissions may be edited for clarity, length and reader focus.

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

39

RAAUS

OPINION Owen Bartrop asks whether we have the right organisation for recreational flying in Australia.

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ustralian aviation has been on a downward slope for many years and changes are required. Urgent action needs to be taken, including cost reduction, if this situation is to be reversed. Currently, aviation is divided into two groups, the boundary between general aviation and recreational aviation being determined by aircraft weight. Is this the best way, or is there a better way?

When discussing recreation flying we can ignore commercial, warbirds, helicopters and military flying, because they are usually flown by professional pilots. Gliding can also be ignored because of the nature of that activity. The main discussion will centre on current organisations governing general and recreation aviation flying and in particular the organisation of GA registered aircraft.

Instead of dividing aviation by aircraft weight, what if we looked at the pilots and divided it by their reasons for flying? We would have professional pilots, those that earn a living by their efforts, and those that fly for fun, let’s call them recreational pilots.

Such a division would require two organisations for management purposes, Commercial Aviation to look after the professionals and Recreational Aviation to look after recreational pilots. Fortunately, we already have two organisations, one being CASA and the other RAAus. Other aviation organisations would not be affected by the suggested changes.

If you think about the knowledge required by each group, while basically the same, in reality it is entirely different. For instance the 1000+ acronyms and abbreviations used by both CASA and the Bureau of Meteorology must be known by professionals but do recreational pilots need to memorise these details, indeed are they capable of such a task? It is one thing to remember information used on a daily basis but an entirely different thinking process is required to remember information that may be used a few times a year.

CASA states that the ATSB has not identified any safety issues with acronyms and abbreviations but there could be. Some are an ICAO requirement, so let the professionals use the information in its current format. However recreational pilots often get baffled by the use of an abbreviation they are unfamiliar with. To go chasing the meaning is distractive and can lead to an unsafe situation. Guessing the meaning is a more likely scenario and could lead to an unpredictable end.

Now and again we hear of an aircraft accident where a pilot has flown into adverse weather conditions. Usually these accidents are classed as pilot error, but are they? Did the pilot misread the weather forecast because of misreading an abbreviation? Was the weather worse than expected? Was there a lack of actual meteorological information because the weather forecast did not cover the proposed route or destination? Nobody would know because the pilot is usually deceased.

While the recently introduced weather forecasting system may be satisfactory for professional flyers it certainly isn’t for recreational. The fact that terminal weather forecasts are unsatisfactory is shown by the growing need for video cameras at airfields – they show the actual weather. The GPWT Forecast Charts do not suit recreational flying. For instance, the GPWT box for Tasmania covers the whole of the island and Tasmanians know that the wind swirls around and blows in different directions. Along the north coast the

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local wind below and above 1000ft can differ by 180˚, whereas it does not in other areas of Tasmania. This indicates that local conditions are being ignored.

The question arises: what would be required to improve safety if aviation were to be divided into professional and recreational flying?

Firstly, rules and regulation and weather information would require presentation in two different formats. The professional could use what is currently provided and recreational, for safety reasons, would need most abbreviations and acronyms replaced by plain English and references to other regulations replaced by the appropriate information.

Generally, aircraft flying above 10,000ft are controlled by Air Services by the use of ADS-B, below this height it is “see and be seen”.

GA or RA aircraft below this height do not have to be equipped with ADS-B unless operating under IMC. ADS-B is very expensive and to professional pilots it is a business cost. To recreational flyers ADS-B would be a personal cost, one that is not affordable.

There is an alternative. Both AvPlan and OzRunway have EFB software capable of showing aircraft position, heading, height, speed and identification. Unfortunately this information is only available to users of the same navigation software so not all aircraft that could be seen are shown. This traffic system is not as accurate or reliable as ADS-B but surely some information is better that none. Those that use an iPad as an EFB for navigation get the system for free.

These traffic display systems are not supported by either CASA or Air Services, who seem quite happy to sacrifice the safety of recreational pilots. If Air Services did tap into these traffic display systems, they could identify many of the aircraft flying without a flight plan or ADS-B. Recreational traffic shown on a controller’s screen would be displayed more accurately and be identified. If all traffic being displayed to controllers were to be broadcast, pilots using EFBs could have a more complete air picture, which would give better collision avoidance.

The reason for mentioning an alternative to ADS-B is to show that safety can be enhanced and that there are different requirements for professional and recreational pilots.

RAAus CASA is already organised to cater for professional flying but RAAus is not capable of handling all recreational needs without changes being made. Changes are already coming to cater for heavier aircraft and if the weight limit goes up to 1500kg, more changes will be necessary.

Classes of Aircraft What if RAAus catered for all recreational pilots be they RA or GA qualified? Aircraft weight would not be a factor, however other criteria would demand that they fit into one of three types of certification. Ultra-Light Aircraft (ULA) would include any aircraft not equipped with a radio or a transponder or whose cruise speed was under 90kts. Light Sports Aircraft (LSA) would need to be equipped with a radio capable of monitoring two frequencies simultaneously, have a transponder and cruise at a speed of 90 to 150kts. High Performance Aircraft (HPA) would be capable of a cruise speed greater than 150kt, have a two-channel radio and a transponder. If the aircraft was going to be flown above 10,000ft, it would need ADS-B and be pressurised or carry oxygen. There would be no change to the way RAAus and SAAA manage/govern experimental aircraft.

LSAs would be able to carry a pilot and up to three passengers while HPA could carry an unlimited number of passengers. Both LSAs and HPAs, if flown by suitably endorsed pilots, could fly IMC if equipped with the necessary instrumentation. Any flight not carrying paying customers would be classed as recreational. If a pilot used an aircraft for business, such as flying to a business meeting, it would be classed as recreational even if the cost of the flight was claimed as a business expense. Cost sharing or payment for consumables would not be considered a commercial flight.

Maintenance The current maintenance procedures for any class of aircraft would not change, with the exception of current GA types that are not certified. This group of aircraft would adopt the current maintenance procedures as used for RAAus aircraft.

Pilot Certification RAAus would issue pilots flying ULAs and LSAs with the current Pilot Certificate. LSA pilots could be issued with an endorsement or a RAAus-issued PPL if they wish to fly in controlled airspace.

HPA pilots would need a RAAus PPL or a CASA-issued commercial license and could fly in controlled airspace and above 10,000ft.

Training There is an argument that CASA should manage all training because they would continue to train professional pilots. This is a subject for a discussion between CASA and RAAus. The cost of training pilots could be reduced if ULAs or LSAs are used for ab initio flight training. Those wishing to go to PPL standard, or commercial, could start their careers using aircraft that are cheaper to run. Schools and instructors would benefit because they could train students to recreation and PPL level.

Conducting AFRs or BFRs for recreational flyers could be done by one instructor in one aircraft, unlike the current arrangement where two different aircraft and sometimes two different examiners are required.

Medicals The current RAAus medical system of “if you are fit enough to drive a car then you are fit enough to fly an aeroplane” has proved itself to be more than adequate for ULA and LSA pilots. Therefore, that medical test should be used for all pilots flying these aircraft.

Pilots wishing to fly HPA would require a Basic Class 2 medical.

Financial RAAus relies on membership, pilot certificate and aircraft certification fees to carry out its current activities. Adding GA pilots and their aircraft to the RAAus registry would pose a financial burden that needs to be addressed.

Registration of aircraft creates a situation where currently registered GA aircraft do not attract an annual fee. This situation would have to remain the same to prevent pilots being forced out of aviation for financial reasons. Therefore, RAAus certified aircraft would have to follow suit with no registration fee, which would mean RAAus would need financing from another source. Also, RAAus Pilot Certificate fees would need reducing, or even eliminating, leaving RAAus with insufficient funds to survive.

We all know that changes cost money. Now that RAAus would be taking on some of CASA’s responsibility, part of CASA’s funds would be required to fund the organisation. How would CASA’s potof-gold be divided? Not by the ratio of pilots, not equally between the two organisations, not by the number or weight of aircraft. Then

how? The easiest way would be for RAAus to send a monthly bill to CASA for expenses outlaid in managing all recreational flyers and their aircraft. A set budget would not be a good idea as it could restrict activities near the end of a financial year.

RAAus is an independent recreational organisation and would not like to be run by public servants, especially if they had no flying experience. RAAus would need to be free to employ more staff to cover the additional workload and it would be up to that organisation to determine both the job descriptions and persons engaged to fill those vacancies.

Summary Implementation of an organisation as stated above would have benefits and restrictions. Let us examine these pros and cons: Pros: There are several benefits over the current organisation and considering RAAus has already applied to increase aircraft weight, some of the pros listed below may eventuate. Notwithstanding, with the introduction of an increased RAAus responsibility, the following should occur: • Professional flying would be controlled by CASA. • Recreation flying would be controlled by RAAus. • CASA would no longer have to manage recreational flying.

• There would be no weight limits for recreation aircraft.

• Training aircrew would be easier and cheaper.

• AFRs and BFRs could be conducted in any recreational aircraft by any approved examiner.

• RAAus would issue recreation Pilot Certificates and PPLs. • Recreation pilots would have plain English rules and regulations.

• Weather information would be available in plain English.

• Inadequacies in weather information would be corrected.

• Air Services could transmit traffic collision avoidance information.

• LSA pilots with an endorsement or PPL could enter controlled airspace.

• RAAus would be assured of a solid financial base.

• Some of the current costs born by RAAus certified pilots would be eliminated.

• Costs of current GA flying would not increase.

Cons: There are few areas where work would have to be done to implement the proposed changes. As we know, humans do not like change and an effort would be necessary to accept the cons listed: • RAAus would need to expand to take on the additional responsibility.

• RAAus may need to move to larger premises.

• Rules and regulations would need duplicating into plain English.

• CASA would need to finance RAAus. • With less responsibility, CASA’s workforce could be reduced.

• BOM would need to improve weather forecasts for recreational pilots.

• BOM would need to improve terminal forecasts for minor airports.

• BOM would need to produce information in plain English.

Conclusion Recreational flying in Australia has decreased in recent years and needs revitalising. To do this, steps need to be taken to change the system of management and reduce costs. The proposal that has been described does not affect commercial operations and is based on actual safety standards and not perceived safety criteria.

By allowing RAAus to take control of all recreation pilots, the cost of recreational flying would be reduced and at the same time safety improved. Recreational flying would increase because of lower costs without burdening CASA or commercial aviation.

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

41

FEATURE

TAVAS − GROWING STRONGER COMMEMORATING

OUR EARLY WARTIME FLYING HISTORY

Australia has a rich history of wartime aviation. Mark Smith met one pilot who is helping show just how far back that history goes.

PHOTOS: MARK SMITH

TAVAS's newest addition, the Nieuport 24.

E

veryone has a dream. For some it’s to win a lottery and run away from the reality of their lives, while for others it’s an exotic car. For many pilots that dream is to own an aeroplane and simply be able to fly whenever they want.

Andrew Carter had a dream. It wasn’t about riches or expensive airframes, or getting that airline job for the prestige of wearing a uniform and striding through the terminal to fly from Sydney to Cairns and back.

Yes he flies a 737, but he does it overnight flying night freight, one of the most difficult jobs in aviation due to the constant back-of-the-clock flying.

Why fly such

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punishing hours? It’s all about his dream.

Andrew, his partner Nathalie and a cluster of dedicated volunteers have spent almost every spare moment in the past few years creating a museum that commemorates the feats and fortunes of Australian pilots flying during WWI. He dreamed of showcasing the aeroplanes they flew, and the aeroplanes they fought against.

Today, they’ve succeeded and The Australian Vintage Aviation Society (TAVAS) museum at Caboolture is a living testament to one man’s vision to show how Australia’s early pilots helped turn the tide of a war that cost way too many lives. It’s a living museum with most of the aircraft in the

collection airworthy.

Our interview starts in an office that used to be open to the hangar. Now it’s tucked away from public view, hidden behind information boards describing the history of the pilots Andrew is desperate to bring back to life via their stories. The shelves in his office are filled with models of aircraft from all theatres of war, while his leather flying jacket hangs casually off the door.

“We've certainly come a long way but we still have further to go. We have covered from the very first true fighter aircraft of WWI to the last axis fighter of the war with a whole lot of significant aircraft in between

and we've been able to tell the story of those first forays into military aviation in a war,” he says.

Dreams are ethereal things. They don’t exist until they actually become a reality.

Andrew and his crew have made that subtle transition, but it’s far from complete.

“We've not only covered the beginning of fixed-wing aviation, we've covered Australia's early involvement in it which most people aren't aware of. We've also covered the beginning of the Australian Flying Corps, (AFC)” he says “Everyone knows about Gallipoli and about the Western front but few people realise Australian pilots were involved in

those actions. There is so much to learn about Australia’s involvement with aerial warfare during the First World War which a lot of people, outside of history buffs, just aren't aware of. We've dedicated one whole section to all eight and a half squadrons of the AFC and individuals within those like Richard Williams, who flew in WWI and went on to become the first chief of the RAAF.” The main display wall details every Australian pilot who achieved ‘Ace’ standard by shooting down more than five enemy aircraft.

“Showing the information in such a way gives people a lot better appreciation of what our guys did. I’ve been told it’s more complete than the one at the Australian War Memorial.”

At the last TAVAS airshow the wind was to strong to fly the Eindecker, or the DVIII, with its 100-year-old rotary engine, so they were both tied down and their engines started. Enthusiasts stood in the slipstream to sample the unique sensation of being exposed to a full loss oil system that sprayed a fine mist of castor oil on the pilot, relishing in the experience pilots would have endured flying that aircraft in combat.

“We warned people not to stand in the slipstream but they did. They wanted to experience what the pilots during WWI felt.

That showed us that what we are doing is working.”

Andrews’s next goal is to find an aircraft that allows people to experience flight from that era.

“Our next big step, is finding a two-seat aircraft, preferably from the period. An Avro 504K would be perfect because it would serve two purposes; to teach pilots how to operate a rotary engine and to take the general public flying so they could experience just what aviation was like back then.

“We warned people not to stand in the slipstream but they did. They wanted to experience what the pilots during WWI felt. That showed us that what we are doing is working.”

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

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What we've done is introduce Australians to early flight and to World War I aircraft, and the people who flew them. Now we’d love to allow them to experience, in a small way, what it was like to fly in those aeroplanes.”

TAVAS is an experiential museum. The rotary-powered aeroplanes use castor oil for lubrication as they did in WWI. The aircraft are covered in the same linen as was used in their construction. As far as possible, people are watching the aeroplanes that flew in the Great War, including their noise, smell and flying characteristics. The idea is to involve all the senses as a part of the experience of watching these aircraft operate.

Interestingly the Eindecker EIII is registered in RAA. The replica Sopwith Triplane also has RAA registration.

Andrew says he’d love to register all of

his airframes in RAAus, and when 760kg becomes a reality, that’s his plan.

“I'd be happy to register every one of our aeroplanes in RAAus, given we don't do aerobatics in them. There’s actually a huge advantage in having our aeroplanes RAAus registered. The whole collection including the Triplanes, the Nieuport and I think the Farman could qualify for RAAus registration. Even the Fokker D-VIII. The precedent has already been set because the Eindecker is registered with RAAus and it's got a rotary engine in it so if the weight increase comes there's no reason we can't put the DVIII with its original 1918 rotary into RAAus as well.”

Another goal is to try and conduct regular flying days, similar to Temora or the RAAF Museum at Point Cook. The problem is such an event is treated by CASA and the local council as if it’s a full blown airshow,

with the attendant costs and paperwork.

“The Henri Farman and the Eindecker can only be flown in absolutely calm conditions. I’d love to put on a late afternoon show when the weather is right, probably at dusk and then have a BBQ afterwards.

Just something nice and simple.”

On the door outside the museum there is a sign.

This museum is unique. There is no other like it anywhere in Australia.

Those words are true and every aviation enthusiast owes it to themselves to visit this amazing collection to pay homage to the pilots who fought the first aerial battles the world had seen.

You can find more about The Australian Vintage Aviation Society and their museum at www.tavas.com.au

The TAVAS Museum.

The EIII. Registered in RAAus

Andrew in the Triplane replica.

Anothee candidate for RRAus

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SPORT PILOT | September 2018

Andrew Carter in the museum he helped create.

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

45

COLUMN

SAFETY

FEAR OF FLYING David P. Eyre

I

hesitated about writing this article because some people might consider it quite ghoulish and perhaps inappropriate for Australian Sport Pilot.

However, the inspiration for discussing the subject came from one of my past students.

I remember training Katrina and indeed have her first solo photo, on July 14, 2001, in my logbook.

Katrina was, and is, a bubbly and intelligent lady and has a deep passion for flying.

At some time, Katrina moved to Melbourne and decided to obtain her Private Pilot Licence. She said that this was going okay until she saw, on TV, the footage of the Super King Air that crashed into the roof of the shopping centre at Essendon.

At this point she expressed some concern about the likelihood of dying in an aircraft crash and became quite nervous at the prospect of going solo again. Katrina was very aware that she was probably overthinking the whole thing. She went on to state how part of her fear was the pain of wondering what would happen to those she would leave behind and how she felt very alone with this fear and that it was crazy to be a pilot with a fear of flying.

This is not the first time that I have encountered this problem. Indeed, most instructors will experience a small example of the phenomena at times when students will ask not to be sent solo. Good instructors develop strategies and ways to cajole them into that first solo.

In some respects, the fear of flying may be inherent within us, just as other phobias are also inherent. Fear of heights, for example, comes to mind. In fact, I have a fear of heights but it has never worried me while flying.

So what can be done?

In one case I took a student into a clinical psychologist and this was quite useful, but, what is at the root of the problem? It is my belief that the fear of flying is actually the fear of dying. Of course there are variations on this, such as fear of being injured.

In most cases we can rationalise our fears and put them aside. When I was a test pilot there were two test aircraft with design faults, that when I placed them into spins, the spins developed into unrecoverable flat spins. The instant fear when this

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SPORT PILOT | September 2018

occurred was instantly replaced by relief that the parachute worked. On subsequent flights going through the spin matrix I was somewhat apprehensive. Sitting up at 9000ft I would be thinking, “what the hell am I doing up here when I could be safe on the ground?” But, hoping that the flight test engineer had done all the calculations, you take a deep breath and get on with it.

When I was researching this article, I came across the term ‘thanatology’ which comes from the Greek ‘thanatos’ meaning death. Thanatology is the study of death, the lead up to it and the post mortem belief systems. Death itself, is defined as the permanent cessation of all life functions.

So, what has this to do with fear of flying?

As stated before, it is my supposition that fear of flying is mainly related to fear of dying. What I tried to put to Katrina, is that really there are only two alternatives existing at death. › One: is that at death, all is gone, even our spirit. There is even no blackness as there is no awareness at all.

It implies that there is no need to worry about death because all awareness is gone.

A lot of people worry about their legacy and what people will think of them. While it is true that the living will indeed pass judgement, the person who has died will not be at all involved because, to put it brutally, they are dead. › Two: is that there is some form of existence after death.

This implies a very strong belief that after death there will be some existence.

Religion is founded on this belief, whether that existence is reincarnation, resurrection to some heavenly state or some other belief system that has been expounded.

Quite often, evidence is put forward to prove that post-mortem existence is true.

We have Mediums talking to the dead, we have apparitions and other paranormal happenings. All these belief systems offer hope to people and can give them comfort when thinking about their inevitable ending.

I went on to explain to Katrina, that there is no need to fear death, or indeed, flying, because it is inevitable that only one these two alternatives can happen and that there is no way that they can be directed.

Also, giving us pilots comfort is that statistically, the possibility of an accident while flying is rare and even rarer when good training is given and when ongoing training refreshers and practice is undertaken. This conscientious training will carry the pilot through most emergencies by instinctive reaction.

To summarise: › Although it is natural to worry about dying, why worry when there is nothing that one can do about the inevitability of death? › Statistically, a fatal crash is rare in our flying community. › Solid, conscientious, ongoing training and practise, will carry a pilot through most emergencies.

C’est la vie, or as Ned Kelly, facing the hangman’s noose said, “such is life”.

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Please do not submit articles regarding events that are the subject of a current official investigation.

Submissions may be edited for clarity, length and reader focus.

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

47

FEATURE

PHOTOS: MARK SMITH

Peter John with his Bushcat.

A

BUSH BASHING, SOUTH AFRICAN STYLE

LSA are a growing market, filled with sophistication. Mark Smith got to fly one of the new ones and his opinion? Awesome!

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SPORT PILOT | September 2018

ustralia and South Africa have very similar territory - large areas of bush that is sparsely populated, with large farms covering thousands of hectares. It’s a rough country that needs tough aeroplanes.

SkyReach is a South African aircraft manufacturer that started out as Rainbow aircraft building trikes. The company identified a market for a rugged three axis bush aircraft and they designed the Rainbow Cheetah, which first flew in 2001.

Constant development of the design and a name change of the original company has resulted in the SkyReach Bush Cat. The Australian agent for this rugged aeroplane is the irrepressible Errol van Rensburg, also brings in the highly successful Sling range of aircraft.

Errol says South African ingenuity is behind the genesis of the design.

“The South African market has always been very ingenious in converting an aircraft to fit all shapes and sizes, and to be really comfortable for the pilot so it becomes a pilot’s aircraft,” he says.

“So they took a Sky ranger, and did a lot of engineering in terms of undercarriages, and they redesigned for cockpit and the surrounding area of a cockpit to make it really wide and comfortable. It has 54 inches in width, which is probably the widest light sport aircraft you can get right now.”

True to its adaptability and variety of uses, the Bush Cat is available as a taildragger or with a nose wheel. The nose wheel version shows the aircraft has some shared heritage with the Sky Ranger LSA that has been on the market for many years. But while external looks can be similar it’s what you find underneath that sets an aircraft apart.

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

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Two Bushcats, one taildragger, one conventional.

The construction is aluminium tube with stainless steel brackets bolted together. The covering is Trilam, a super-tough material used to make super-yacht sails. It’s incredibly strong given it normally spends its life with 30 knots blasting against it in the open ocean.

The aircraft is available in kit form priced at around $75,000 depending on the day’s exchange rate. For another $20,000 the factory will build it for you.

“We took 20 days to assemble our kit but we have a lot of experience,” Errol says.

With the similarities in climate, Errol believes there is a lot of scope for the South African aircraft to work well in Australia.

“In Australia we have very similar conditions to South Africa. You get your hot and high, you get your really dry areas, and then you obviously get your coastal regions so South African aircraft are very well-suited for the Australian market.”

Tail wheel flying is undergoing a resurgence with pilots buying aeroplanes to use as escape craft to fly to places off the grid. An airfield is any piece of ground long enough to land and take off from. The Bush Cat is designed with this in mind.

“I really think we are on the verge of seeing a total turn-around in the way people perceive taildragger aircraft. You can see this on social media. There’s really

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a lot more interest in it, and we are very happy to have one of very few, very affordable taildraggers right now on the market.”

Peter John is one pilot who has succumbed to the appeal of the Bush Cat. A veteran pilot and experienced aviation regulator, he’s bought an aeroplane that will operate into locations few modern aeroplanes can go.

“For years, I had a Thorp T-18 and it was a beautiful aircraft. It was great for flying fast in a straight line, getting where you wanted to go, but I’m at the stage now where I just want to have some fun with an aeroplane,” he says.

“It’s a pretty aeroplane; very responsive, but at the same time pleasant to fly.

I’m very happy with my choice.

“It’s extremely, strong, rated to plus six and minus four G. It’s very easy to maintain flying within those limits. And it’s just a good looking aeroplane, apart from the performance.”

Flying the Bush Cat is a very pleasurable experience. The centre stick falls easily to hand and allows your lap to be free to hold the charts for navigation, or dare I say it, the iPad! Take off is simple for a taildragger. Yes you need to know how to use your feet but its power to weight ratio means the tails comes up just as you break ground. Hold

70kts and it goes up at 1000fpm.

The view forwards is perfect, though like most high wing flying machines above and behind needs a turn and a damn good look.

That said, the native manoeuvrability of the Bush Cat means throwing it around the sky isn’t all that hard. Me? I loved flying it.

The centre stick has always been a winner with me. When Henry Millicer designed the controls of the Airtourer I always felt he was ahead of his time. I struggled through my PPL and CPL with a control wheel over my lap, with next to no room to play with maps. Times have changed and iPads and glass cockpits mean such problems are a thing of the past, but having your lap clear of aircraft controls is a good thing.

The Bush Cat is easy to fly. I can’t put it better than that. I could talk about yaw coupling and the need to use your feet as you turn but nearly every aeroplane needs that. The control pressures are just right so you aren’t left in any doubt about where the stick needs to be for a given attitude.

As your skill builds while flying the Bush Cat, your take offs and landing get shorter and shorter.

Put simply it’s a fun aeroplane that’ll get you in and out of tight strips provided you have the right training and you know the aeroplane SPORT PILOT | September 2018

51

FEATURE

PERTH TO SYDNEY ON TWO BLADES, ONE LEG AT A TIME Andrew Mozdzen recounts the joy of flying his gyro across Australia

G

yrocopters seem designed to trailer easily if you need to transport one a very long distance. A dual axle car trailer, some tie down straps and a good car will see the trip completed with ease.

So when I was transferred from Perth to Sydney why did I decide to fly my Magni across the Nullarbor, rather than take the easier option of towing her?

Simple - flying that far is a lot more fun than driving, and a great challenge to my skills as a pilot.

While it seems like a monumental task to fly a slow aircraft across Australia in reality it’s just a bunch of short flights put together over an extended period of time.

The key is flight planning and logistics -finding fuel within the range of the gyro and accommodation along the way.

The trip was successful because of the great Aussie spirit we found in the locals who helped us at airfields where no services were available. In one case a local did a 60km round trip to help us out. That is dedication to the shared love of aviation.

Our gratitude to these people knows no bounds and it’s the reason we could complete the trip without needing a ground

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crew in a car following us.

Weather planning was also a big factor given the west to east track involves three different weather systems with their own special challenges. Thankfully Mother Nature was kind to us for most of the way, with the only real issue being some spring thunderstorms as we neared the east coast.

DAY 1.

Perth to Esperance.

Every long journey starts with a first step and for us it was flying over about 20 miles of mountainous country to our refuelling point at Wagin. The hospitality of the aviation community started when a Wagin Aero Club member kindly brought out two jerry cans of fuel.

From there we flew over flat salt lakes to Raventhrope. With the airfield 30km from the town a local mechanic completed a 60km round trip to bring us fuel, a gesture we very much appreciated.

The final leg of the day was to Myrup (Esperance) and after 30 minutes in the air we crossed the southern shoreline of Australia and flew over pristine remote beaches.

After landing, local aviators greeted us and offered us a hangar and accommodation at the airfield for the night as well as the use of their car to get into town for fuel and food.

DAY 2.

Myrup to Nullarbor Roadhouse.

The first leg of the day to Caiguna Roadhouse was going to push the boundaries of my fuel endurance though as long as my ground speed didn’t get below 60 knots I knew I’d be alright. Along the way I was constantly doing fuel calcs with the option to divert further north of my track to fill up at Balladonia if I had doubts. The terrain was flat with many little salt lakes as far as my eyes could see to the north, within what appeared to be a wheat belt. After an hour the terrain changed to condensed bushes and trees until around 20 miles from Caiguna. I was relieved to have this terrain behind me – just as well the engine didn’t know any better!

Departing Caiguna for Mundrabilla we realised we had reached the western end of the Nullarbor Plain and the terrain was rela-

tively featureless against the Eyre Highway.

My passenger Mick and I were convinced that by now we were officially in ‘no man’s land’ and decided to follow the Eyre Hwy for most of this leg because if we ran into trouble, we’d have a continuous ‘runway’ below us. Having a passenger staved off the loneliness of being over such desolate territory. Landing at Mundrabilla and refuelling at a service station bowser next to a car that was also getting fuel didn’t raise an eyebrow from the attendant. It’s obviously commonplace for the 12 locals that live here, who probably regularly see visiting aircraft land to refuel.

Mundrabilla to Nullarbor Roadhouse

Another hour in the air and we reached Eucla and the WA-SA border, so we wound our watches forward 2.5 hours. The coastline also merged closer with sand dunes and vegetation quickly transitioning to the famous Bunda Cliffs. The cliffs and their backdrop of a treeless plain and a highway would be our view until reaching Nullarbor Roadhouse. There were moments where the Bunda Cliffs came inland to within a few hundred feet of the highway so we went a SPORT PILOT | September 2018

53

little offshore to check out these spectacular limestone cliffs.

While flying between the cliffs and highway at 500ft we would occasionally see a car or road train and wave hello - they would laugh and wave back. Within 20 minutes of crossing the state border we decided to head straight for the Nullarbor Roadhouse as I felt the day ending sooner inland, especially while heading east, and we landed right on end of daylight.

Day 3.

Nullarbor Roadhouse to Ceduna

Within 20 minutes of being airborne the Bunda Cliffs turned in to large sand dunes and spectacular deserted remote beaches as we reached the eastern end of the Nullarbor Plain. A kind petrol station owner at Ceduna greeted us with two jerry cans of fuel. Initially over the phone he asked what fuel I used? I told him 98ULP but he said he only had 95ULP. I told him that was fine yet at the airfield he mentioned he’d filled the jerry cans with 98ULP from another petrol station. He made no money from this transaction! I thanked him and couldn’t believe he went to this length to help me.

Ceduna to Wudinna

Halfway into this leg we had some

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clouds form below us but decided to stay above as we had a better ground speed. The local doctor, who also flies from the airfield, brought us some fuel and food from town.

call inbound and asked if someone at the airfield could assist me with fuel. “No problem, I can help you with that,” was the reply. Talk about right place right time!

Wudinna to Port Pirie

DAY 5.

Waikerie to Mildura

The wheat belt country of the Eyre Peninsula from Wudinna was relatively featureless until we neared my old home town of Whyalla – the biggest town we had seen in two days. From here we tracked across the Spencer Gulf south of Port Bonython and made the 10 minute dash across water to Port Germein and on to Port Pirie to retire for the day. The friendly caretaker gave us a hangar and place to stay with his father for the night (who is also a very passionate aviator). Their hospitality blew me away – not only did he get fuel for us in town but also provided us lunch and fruit for the next day’s journey!

DAY 4 Port Pirie to Waikerie

This flight took us over the southern end of the Flinders Ranges and Riverland region of South Australia where we met up with some house boats on the Murray River.

During my planning I wasn’t able to find a person to assist me with fuel and while 20 miles out from Waikerie I heard some traffic

Crossing the SA-VIC border in the early afternoon, the temperature was rising with afternoon storms forecast in the NSW Southern Highlands. After landing a friendly Mildura Flying Club member radioed us where to taxi, helped us with fuel and an offer of lunch in the hangar. It was hard to leave the warm hospitality, but we had one more leg to fly to beat the potential afternoon storms around Hay.

Mildura to Hay

After a 2pm departure it started getting very hot and we could see thunderstorm cells building to the left and right of our track. About 30 miles from Hay there were thunderstorms and lightning bolts directly in front of our track so we had to do some zig zagging. I was so relieved to see the airfield 10 miles away and the moment we landed a massive wind gust hit, so I stayed stationary with brakes applied to spin down my rotors before moving off the runway.

It was lucky timing as the hangar owner

was waiting with the doors open and the moment I got it inside, the rain came.

DAY 5.

Hay to Young

Another warm November day with thunderstorms forecast in the afternoon meant an early getaway to capitalise on favourable winds above 5000ft. We climbed to 5500ft making a good groundspeed for Young and our last refuel. While descending into Young we enjoyed the lush green views of rolling

plains and cherry farms. As we landed, a lovely couple who live near the airfield brought fuel to us in jerry cans, then invited us home for lunch. We were really spoiled by this country hospitality throughout our trip. It was difficult to leave in a hurry after receiving such a warm welcome but I was mindful we needed to get going before the afternoon storms hit Sydney.

The last leg would be my wildest experience ever, flying over the Blue Mountains.

We left Young and headed direct to our destination at Camden to beat the forecast afternoon storms. We rode thermals up to 8000ft to be at minimum safe altitude from terrain, although still being only 1000ft AGL never felt comfortable. I tuned the standby frequency on my radio to 121.5 and wore my PLB around my neck ready to activate it if we came to grief. As we passed Warragamba Dam a line of storm cells left and right threw lightning bolts within a few miles of us. I made a few zig zags to our path until we were clear while listening to many radio conversations of concerns between airliners and ATC about these cells. It was a huge relief to be clear and descending into Camden with a perfect blue-sky day.

That was the end of the trip, and to celebrate Michael’s wife was waiting at the airport with a bottle of champagne!

FACTS & FIGURES: Average ground speed:

66 knots

Average fuel burn:

12 litres/hour

Average air time per day:

7 hours

Total air time:

36.2 hours

Number of days:

5

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

55

EVENT

AVALON 2019 IS COMING – WILL YOU BE THERE?

R

Now available in Australia in kit build or factory build

Affordable | Simplistic | Rugged | Quality LSA | Fun www.gap.aero Contact info@gap.aero, t 1300 659 228 / c +61 400 639 388 / m +61 415 072 498

LOOK FORWARD TO A

BRIGHTER FUTURE

Australian LightWing SP2000-S Aircraft $50,000 . Offers Welcome

www.lightwing.com.au . fly@lightwing.com.au . (02) 6686 8658 56

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

WAI AUSTRALIA 2018 NATIONAL CONFERENCE 28-30 SEPTEMBER 2018 HUNTER VALLEY, NSW • 3 days of speaker presentations • panels • workshops • networking “WAI is dedicated to the encouragement & advancement of women in all aviation & aerospace career fields and interests...”

18jul19

Nose Wheel/Tail Wheel VIP Propellor Spacious Cockpit Leather Upholstery . 118 Knot Cruise . 120 L Tanks

AAus is pleased to offer members a special incentive to have their RAAus aircraft on display in the Sport Aviation display area at Avalon 2019. The first 20 members who respond and include their RAAus aircraft on display at Avalon 2019 will be offered 12 months free aircraft registration and 12 months free subscription to Australian Sport Pilot.

Members are no doubt aware RAAus is committed to a considerable presence at the Avalon International Airshow and in 2017 we won the Best Sport Organisation award for our display and interactions with attendees.

We couldn’t do this without the support of our enthusiastic members who commit time and money to display their RAAus aircraft and enjoy the Avalon experience.

This incentive has been offered to provide the public with the best display of RAAus aircraft at Avalon 2019. To enter, simply email ops@raa.asn.au with your name, member number and aircraft registration. The 12 months free registration and 12 months subscription to Australian Sport Pilot will be provided to the first 20 members who commit to displaying their RAAus aircraft for the entire Avalon airshow.

The 20 members who display their RAAus aircraft at Avalon will be given their reward after the Avalon International Airshow event concludes on March 3, 2019.

www.waiaustralia.org | www.facebook.com/waiaustralia.org To register: www.events.humanitix.net/women-in-aviation-national-conference

AVIATION CLASSIFIEDS

5023 22 AIRARK RD.HOLBROOK AIRPARK.

Residential vacant Block. 22 Airpark Road Holbrook NSW 2644.

EMAIL: donwoodward@outlook.com WWW: holbrook.simdif.com PRICE: $69000 ONO CONTACT: Don Woodward 0417 696 461

5039 RANS COYOTE II S6ES

5139 DAKOTA HAWK

0 Airframe Hours, N/A Engine Hours, Dakota Hawk All controls complete. A/C is fitted with Matco wheels and brakes. A/C is fully covered and painted. Will take a Rotax or Jab 100hp. Fully folding wings.

PRICE: $18500 CONTACT: Brian Howard 0401 060 613

5309 SHARE IN AEROPRAKT A32 VIXXEN AT CABOOLTURE QLD

400 Airframe Hours, 400 Engine Hours, A32 Vixxen A share is available in The Davewood Syndicate Vixxen based at Caboolture. Long running syndicate dedicated to providing a low hour high (currently 150) standard machine at reasonable rates of $85 per hour wet and $100 per month fixed.

PRICE: $10000 CONTACT: Ian McDonell (07) 3886 5828

286 Airframe Hours, 286 Engine Hours, P-1 PARADISE P-1 PRICE: $85000 CONTACT: John Darby 0402 210 913

5164 JABIRU UL6

575.6 Airframe Hours, 575.6 Engine Hours, J230C Factory built 2007. Excellent condition. All AD’s up-to-date. Glass cockpit: Dynon D100 EFIS, AvMap EKP IV, GPS, Sentient AirNav GPS touch screen. Lots of extras. Hangered at Warwick (Qld). Phone (after-hours) 0438 663 371.

PRICE: $69000 ONO CONTACT: Gwenith Tyburczy 0421 322 618

286 Airframe Hours, 626 Engine Hours, RV-3A RV performance with Lycoming reliability. Lycoming O-320-A2B 150HP,150-160kt TAS cruise @32lph.

New prop, instruments & paint. A/C can be registered VH if aerobatics required, and can be delivered anywhere in Australia for cost.

PRICE: $55000 CONTACT: Peter Gilbert 0428 719 639

5088 FLIGHT DESIGN CTLS

5224 BRUMBY LOW WING

342 Airframe Hours, 342 Engine Hours, 1996 Updated electric actuators and Tundra wheels and tyres. Brand new icon A210. Needs some work on the tail-wheel for water landings. Condition report included. Registered until September 2018 Email: bluepeace24@yahoo.com.au PRICE: $29000 CONTACT: Ivan Lizarralde 0409 660 716

5454 WANTED - WIZARD 3 HANG GLIDER WING FOR TRIKE

5422 JABIRU 230D $69,500

CONTACT: Glenn Stallard 0434 558 038

140 Airframe Hours, 140 Engine Hours, Vm1. Esqual Vm1 PRICE: $65000 CONTACT: Walter Hudson 0428 469 416

58

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

715 Airframe Hours, 650 Engine Hours, 600 low wing.

Brumby 600 low wing. Rotax 912ULS with Sensinich 3-blade composite prop 2-seat leather interior.

Dynon EFIS and Garmin avionics with Autopilot.

Low time and great condition. Price excludes GST. PRICE: $82500 CONTACT: Sheldon Jones 0427 102 540

5494 J6C KARATOO

5458 HANGARS HOLBROOK AIRFIELD

545 Airframe Hours, 545 Engine Hours, J230D J230D. Excellent Condition, true 120kt cruise,Nil Accidents, Autopilot, plus many more, All AD,s current, 545H Airframe and Engine, Factory built, Customised Leather Seats, great for touring, Located GCSFS Jacobswell Qld. PRICE: $69500 CONTACT: Colin Worthy 0403 669 564

5428 CESSNA SKYCATCHER 162

Hangars at Holbrook Airpark. Freehold Title blocks (18m X 18m) or new Hangar and blocks available.

Serviced by sealed taxiways.

PRICE: $25000 CONTACT: John Ferguson 0413 990 400

5462 AIRBORNE MICROLIGHT

664 Airframe Hours, 260 Engine Hours, J200 Build 2003, Owner purchased 2010, Airframe TTIS 644 Hrs, nil accidents, repainted at Factory 2013, GA analogue instruments, vacuum pump, A/H, D/G, Electric T&B, voltmeter, keyed ignition, Microair radio, dual headsets and 2 x GPS’s, 140 lit fuel PRICE: $50000 CONTACT: Jeff Nott 0418 843 954

5335 TYRO MK 2

98 Airframe Hours, 98 Engine Hours, 162. CESSNA SKYCATCHER 162 2011 TT 98 hrs. Australian delivery. One owner. Dual screens PFD and EGT, all options. Currently registered GA but can be registered RA. 10/10.

EMAIL: alank454@hotmail.com PRICE: $95700 ONO CONTACT: Alan Kirwan 0439 805 540

5435 AIRCRAFT 24-5195

401.8 Airframe Hours, 401.8 120 since Overhaul Engine Hours, J230D. Dec 07 Jabiru J230D. Only 400 TTIS. Excellent Condition. Always Hangared.

Will sell with fresh Annual.

PRICE: $65000 CONTACT: James Rodgers 0457 054 123

20 Airframe Hours, 20 Engine Hours, Classic Microlight for sale. New engine, just run in 20 hours old. Upgraded wing from original wizard wing to Streak 1. Many extras. Includes travel fuel panieres, helmets, radio. Log books available. Excellent condition.

PRICE: $15000 CONTACT: Martin Braatz 0417 896 342

149 Airframe Hours, 149 Engine Hours, J6C Home built Karatoo, side-by-side 2 seater, 149 hours total air frame, Subaru EA81 engine. Always hangered. Not currently registered. Must be sold Dad’s no longer able to fly it. All reasonable offers considered, located at Forbes NSW. PRICE: $23000 CONTACT: David Dent 0413 243 243

5502 2014 WEDGETAIL AIRCRAFT COUGAR (FORMALLY MORGAN AEROWORKS)

60 Airframe Hours, 40 Engine Hours, Tyro MK 2 Tyro MK 2 fully refurbished 4 years ago with stits polyfibre. VW 1600 twin port aero engine (40 hours) with new Ark Tech propeller. Holds 50L of fuel, with a burn of 7-10L/hour in cruise. Call Les 0438 017 256. Located in South East Tasmania.

PRICE: $7500 CONTACT: Les Skinner 0438 017 256

850 Airframe Hours, nil Engine Hours, KP-5. 2013 Skyleader KP5. 850 TTIS. Empty 304kgs MTOW

62 Airframe Hours, 62hrs Engine Hours, Cougar.

This aircraft is one of very few kit built aircraft of it’s class antwhere in Australia. It is equipped with everything that you could imagine: Honda Viking Engine 110Hp (Uses between 18-20LPH of 98 Fuel) 110L Fuel Capacity with 8 hrs Endurance.

PRICE: $82000 CONTACT: Frankie Bailey 0468 713 545

5506 SAPHIRE

5468 TECNAM BRAVO WITH LEASE ON HANGAR/OFFICE

5436 AIRCRAFT 24-8373

732 Airframe Hours, 732 Engine Hours, CTLS 732 airframe and engine hours. 130L fuel giving over 6 hours endurance at 110-115 TAS. Empty weight of 329kg giving useful load of 271kg.Always hangared and L2 maintained. No accident history.

Immaculate condition inside and out.

PRICE: $115000 CONTACT: William Davison 0419 632 477

5491 AIRCRAFT FOR SALE

5334 JABIRU J200 19-5073

5057 RV-3

540 Airframe Hours, 150 Engine Hours, UL6 Jabiru UL6 (6 cyl, 3300, Camit engine, 3yo), Good Condition Extended wings. Frame: 540 hrs. approx; Engine: 270 hrs approx.

Upgraded brakes, larger wheels. Climbs exceptionally well. Take-off and landing within 400m possible. Fuel: 14 l/hr @ 100Kn. PRICE: $32000 CONTACT: Johannes Luthy 0402 443 635

580kgs. Fuel 64Lt Total Both.

Cruise 105kt Stall full flaps 35kt. Electric Fowler Flaps and trim. Very easy to fly.

PRICE: $70000 CONTACT: James Rodgers 0457 054 123

5326 JABIRU J230C (24-5013)

5140 PARADISE P-1

280 Airframe Hours, 270 Engine Hours, S-6ES Coyote II. Registered till June 2017. Rotax 582 UL engine 260hrs. New BRS recovery chute installed December 2015. Large roomy cockpit with sliding seats. Folding wings for easy storage/trailering. All VFR instruments. Search Youtube for “Tuflux RANS Coyote”.

PRICE: $22000 CONTACT: Gordon Bailey 0409 348 293

5397 BUCCANEER2 ULTRALIGHT FOR SALE

1210 Airframe Hours, nil Engine Hours, Bravo Tecnam Bravo with low hours,(maintained by LAME and L2). We also have a 3 x 3 x3 lease on a hangar with Office area and accommodation all renovated.

Additional we are also selling our family home.

Offers over $219,000.00 PRICE: $219000 CONTACT: Wayne Dillon 0438 551 198

755 Airframe Hours, 30 Engine Hours, Saphire.

Number 5 Build.First Reg 1985.KFM powered.Still full flying order and condition.Low hours air frame and current engine.Delight to Fly.Sale is age related.

Three spare KFM motors and components included.

Engine tool dismantle and rebuild Kit. PRICE: $7000 CONTACT: Hayden Macaulay 0439 093 289

5519 ROTAX ENGINES

Rotax engines (3) for sale to realistic offers:(1).

Rotax 447 - 100 hrs TSOH. “B” gearbox, single carb. Requires service, exhaust, spark plugs & few minor parts. Sold “as is”. Note: engines (2) and (3) are now on hold pending sale. Brand new exhausts SPORT PILOT | September 2018

59

AVIATION CLASSIFIEDS

(straight or 180 degrees) and carbies available at additional cost. Purchaser to pay.

CONTACT: Mustafa Bozkurt 0408 516 816

5546 JODEL D-18 ( 2-SEATER)

5564 DRIFTER WB 503 19-3763

5523 RAND X-AIR

216 Airframe Hours, 216 Engine Hours, X-air Australian. Rand X-Air Rotax 618 216hrs Good condition full instrumentation ballistic parachute 3blade brolga prop.

PRICE: $12000 CONTACT: David Kille 0402 401 566

5528 AIRBORNE XT-912, TRIKE/ MICROLIGHT ARROW S WING LSA

136 Airframe Hours, 136 Engine Hours, D-18.

GENUINELY SELLING FOR HEALTH REASON. Built 2005. TT 136hrs. SUBARU EA-81 ENGINE. Gearbox (not belt-drive). Warpdrive 3-blade prop. As new instruments, Microair Radio, GPS, Emergency Beacon. Aircraft will be trailerable.

PRICE: $19500 Morris Beattie 0409 540 180

5553 AVID FLYER MK IV

469 Airframe Hours, 344 SMOH Engine Hours, Mk 1 “Lightweight Drifter”, good performer, dual control, Rotax 503 DCDI with B reduction box, ground

MTOW 600Kg Empty Weight 300-305Kg Cruise 90 Kts Stall 26Kts Take Off/Land 45m

adjustable Ivo “quick adjust” prop, Microair radio, headsets, fresh annual, always hangered, well maintained and regularly flown, spares, freezer suits.

PRICE: $13500 CONTACT: Michael Bruce Holloway 0402 935 017

Photo shows some options

5569 ZENAIR 750

110 Airframe Hours, 120 Engine Hours, Avid Flyer Mk iv Avid Flyer for sale. STOL Wing. 120 hours engine, air frame and Warp drive (3 blade). Excellent entry into Recreational Flying. Custom made trailer available at additional cost of $2,000.

PRICE: $25000 CONTACT: Tony Sagnelli 0437 002 416

5554 JABIRU 230 D 550 Airframe Hours, 550 Engine Hours, XT-912.

AIRBORNE XT-912 TRIKE ARROW S WING LSA PRICE: $29000 CONTACT: Bob Thiemann(07) 5481 2025 / 0418 776 116

Australian Agent: Peter Mob 0408 376 540

0 Airframe Hours, nil Engine Hours, 750 ZenAir750 130hrs Rotax914Turbo widebody bubledoors tundra tyres 10â€Dynon Skyview 100ltr fuel Amazing short field take off.

PRICE: $95000 CONTACT: Nat Jaques 0417 073 046

Aeroprakt A32 Vixxen www.foxbat.com.au

5580 JABIRU J200 + 1/2 HANGER AT HECK FIELD

5536 FOR SALE - JABIRU J230.

465 Airframe Hours, 465 Engine Hours, 230 D. Jabiru 230 D 2009 24 7202. All engine up dates done. Reason for sale no longer flying 465hrs PRICE: $70000 ONO CONTACT: Rowan Murphy 0428 388 244

5563 2015 FOXBAT A22LS PRICE: reduced by $10000. 350 Airframe Hours, 350 Engine Hours, J230. Kit built, approx 350 trouble-free hrs. 3 stage electric flaps, Xcom radio, Narco transponder, Garmin 295 GPS, vertical card compass, Whelan beacon and wingtip strobes, Trutrak ADI, alternate flashing landing lights, cabin heater, carby preheater for cold starts, CHT monitored on all cylinders.

Also comes with a 12 volt refueling pump on trolley.

PRICE: $50000 NEG CONTACT: Graham Barrington 0400 144 282

5539 AIRBORNE EDGE X

642.0 Airframe Hours, 30 Engine Hours, Edge X Classic. New engine and prop always kept in hangar.

PRICE: $10000 CONTACT: Andrew Foster 0404 236 067

60

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

480 Airframe Hours, 480 Engine Hours, J200 480 hours, 6Cyd, 3.3Ltr, 120 HP, Solid valve lifter, head done at 450hrs, Temperature gauges, GPS, Transponder, Auto Pilot, Disc Brakes, Fuel Filter, Radio, comes with ½ hanger at Heck Field QLD. $50,000-plane $40,000-1/2 Hanger.

PRICE: $90000 CONTACT: Bruce Smallacombe 0410 524 040

1066.6 Airframe Hours, 1050 Engine Hours, A22LS Foxbat Foxbat A22LS 2015-model with 1050hrs total time.

Yoke control and center throttle, with optional Hand-control rudder. Certified for Premium unleaded fuel or AVGAS. Dynon 10” Skyview touch with ADSB transponder and backup Airspeed and Altimeter PRICE: $88500 CONTACT: Sheldon Jones 0427 102 540

When you are up here you need to know what is happening at a glance.

Glance EFIS

5588 PACIFIC IBIS

900 Airframe Hours, 900 Engine Hours, GS700 magic. Pacific Ibis GS 700 for sale PRICE: $55000 CONTACT: Craig Hardy 0409 581 278

Search for Aeroprakt A32

Cruise 115+ knots Stall 27 knots Carry 210+ kgs after full fuel Average under 20 litres an hour Believe it!

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

61

AVIATION CLASSIFIEDS

5590 WANTED - RA-AUS CHIEF FLYING

5617 AIRBOURNE EDGE TRIKE

INSTRUCTOR

monitoring, fuel quantity and management, nav and GPS. Microair VHF. Kit†Muffler and Propeller Factory Fitted. 65 Litre Fuel Capacity (Approx 3.5 hours plus 45 minutes reserve). Three Wheel.

PRICE: $48000 CONTACT: Glenn Wilson (no phone)

5636 PIONEER 300

5629 ZENITH ZODIAC 601XL-B

317.2 Airframe Hours, 43.9 Engine Hours, Pioneer 300. Pioneer 300 six cylinder Jabiru powered , new engine and propeller 43.8 hours, airframe 317.2 hours, retractable 125 knots, condition 9 out of 10, comes with fresh 100 hourly.

PRICE: $85000 CONTACT: Mark Preston 0448 387 828

Join the team at the Sunshine Coast’s fastest growing flight training facility. We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced CFI, or Snr. Instructor.

EMAIL: colin@sunshinecoastaeroclub.com.au.

CONTACT: Colin Appleton 0414 430 647

5597 JABIRU J230C

300 Airframe Hours, nil Engine Hours, Edge.

Airbourne edge trike 582 rotax blue motor. streack 1b wing.

PRICE: $4950 CONTACT: David Snell 0414 496 696

5618 KITFOX IV CLASSIC

130 hours Airframe Hours, 130 hours Engine Hours, 601 XL-B Zenith Zodiac 601 XL-B, TTIS 130 hours, fitted with Jabiru 3300, solid lifter, 3 blade prop ground adjustable, Dynon EFIS- EMF. Award winning aircraft, 9.5 out of 10 inside and out.

PRICE: $58000 CONTACT: Gordon Burgess 0428 261 402

5630 COBRAM COBRA

605.9 Airframe Hours, nil Engine Hours, J230C Jabiru J230C. 2008. 605.9 Airframe & engine hrs.

Engine overhauled at 403 hrs. Wooden Jabiru propeller. Garmin GPS 296. Microair Txpdr. Hangared at Rockhampton. Deceased Estate.

PRICE: $51000 +GST

360 Airframe Hours, 80hrs Engine Hours, Kitfox iv Classic. Kitfox iv Classic.

No time to fly. Airframe 360hrs. Subaru EA81 100hp, Autoflight gearbox 80hrs since rebuild. 3 Blade Bolly Optima. Grove Aluminium undercarriage. 100ltrs fuel. Garmin GPS aera500.

PRICE: $28000 CONTACT: Peter 0467 091 714

5620 2004 AIRBORNE EDGE X CLASSIC TUNDRA

CONTACT: Lyn Finney 0428 788 910

5614 JABIRU FOR SALE

530 Airframe Hours, nil Engine Hours, SPUL Jabiru ul long wings and winglets. Longrange fuel tanks (120lts) 2200 motor. T end done 100 hours ago. Cht and egt fitted. 92 knot cruize. Big main wheels. Very tidy aircraft.

PRICE: $23800 CONTACT: David Snell 0414 496 696

450 Airframe Hours, 320 Engine Hours, Dragonfly Viking Dragonfly. 1 Airline Pilot owner last 9 years, VGC, engine 320 hours just had rings, new throughbolts and valves seated. Flies beautifully 113kts at 3000rpm, no adverse yaw. Offers Invited https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_Dragonfly.

PRICE: $19900 ONO CONTACT: Hugh 0428 400 737

5641 SLIPSTREAM GENESIS AIRCRAFT

5631 SAVANNAH VG

105 Airframe Hours, 1650 Engine Hours, Genesis Aircraft rebuilt by current owners and has currently been deregistered and disassembled for storage.

Rotax 912 80hp engine and accessories including instruments and is currently fitted to mainframe and in running condition for inspection.

PRICE: $8000 CONTACT: Clyde Howard 0488 422 156

250 Airframe Hours, 250 Engine Hours, VG Savannah VG 19-7575, 250hrs Engine/Airframe.

Rotax 912ULS, Warp Drive Nickel prop. XCOM Radio. 4 Tanks 144ltr with fuel flow meter. Electric Trim, Garmin 695, carpeted cockpit - very quiet. Nil accidents, full service history, excellent condition, k.

PRICE: $57800 CONTACT: Rodney Kinnish 0411 378 998

5625 TANARG 912 ES MICROLIGHT (TRIKE)

5634 CESSNA 150

5615 POWERD PARACHUTE

5645 JABIRU SP470 - 19-3897

60 Airframe Hours, nil Engine Hours, Home built.

Converted airborn edge rotax 582. Fully certified.

PRICE: $10800 CONTACT: David Snell 0414 496 696

62

SPORT PILOT | September 2018

377.1 Airframe Hours, 377.1 Engine Hours, Tanarg 912 ES. Tanarg 912 ES with Bionix 13 Wing. TT Engine, Base and Wing 377.1. Rotax 912 ULS 100 hp Engine. Airplast 3 Blade Propeller. Stratomaster Enigma EFIS – Flight Instruments, engine

8728 Airframe Hours, 900 Engine Hours, C150 Cessna150M - 1975 model. Total time 8728hrs.

Engine 900hrsTSO. SIDS and cable replacement completed in 2016. ADs up to date, fresh annual completed. Icom VHF, Mode C transponder. White/ burgundy paint 7/10. Grey Interior 6/10.

PRICE: $46000 CONTACT: Sheldon Jones 0427 102 540

2081.7 Airframe Hours, 735.7 Engine Hours, Texan 550 Club 2009 model. Caloundra. Cruise 105kts. Rotax 912 ULS engine 1269 hours TBO or 12 years. Airframe: complete new re-spray & gel coat (cost $12,500).

New intercom. DUC prop. AvMap avionics. Always hangared. Regularly maintained.

PRICE: $79500 CONTACT: Martin Costigan 0402 821 959

5652 PROPERTY FOR SALE IN GATTON AIRPARK

2,100 Sq.mtr Block. 320 Sq.mtr. 4 Bed/3Bath Brick Home 16m x 12m Hangar w direct access onto 800m runway, Town Water + 3 Rainwater Tanks 30 mins to Toowoomba, 45 mins Brisbane by Road.

Un-interrupted scenic rural views across the valley to Toowoomba PRICE: $595000 CONTACT: Beven Dryden 0409 771 004

5653 RANS S6ES

291.9 Airframe Hours, 85.4 Engine Hours, SP470 2002 model SP470, TTIS 291hrs, solid lifter engine

5657 SKYFOX TAILDRAGGER

847 Airframe Hours, 325 Engine Hours, Impala Taildragger Skyfox Taildragger. RARE. Very pretty airplane and a Joy to Fly. AF 847 hrs Rotax 912 325 hrs, Txp, New Icom A200, GPS. Factory built Tandem axle trailer can go anywhere and you can sleep on the floor.

PRICE: $41000 CONTACT: Guy Dutertre 0419 999 766

5658 KR2

0 Airframe Hours, 0 Engine Hours, KR2 KR2 Complete Kit. BARGAIN. ALL woodwork complete. Rudder and Elevator glassed. $4k of pre-finished components (turtle deck, engine cowls and Diehl gear. Also zero time Revmaster Dual Mag Aero engine. Instruments included $7000.

PRICE: $7000 CONTACT: Guy Dutertre 0423 744 905

5664 JOHN SCOTT PARTS

5642 ARION LIGHTNING 3.3FI

740 Airframe Hours, 655 Engine Hours, Lightning Owner builder,740AF & 655 eng hrs, FI 3.3 Jab eng powered by Haltec FX10 computer. Eng never pulled down. Cruise 140kts @ 2800, 19 lts per hr.

Thompson prop 61x60. Lowrance 2000C GPS slaved to Dynon 180 .ASI. PRICE: $69990 ONO CONTACT: Steve Biele 0407 218 203

condition. Flys great. Selling due to upgrade. ttis 238 hrs PRICE: $29500 CONTACT: Gary Murphy (no phone)

5651 FLY SYNTHESIS TEXAN 550 CLUB

5640 VIKING DRAGONFLY

653 Airframe Hours, 118 Engine Hours, Cobra Single seater, very nice to fly. Very light and responsive controls. Cruises at 75-85kts burning 11-12 litres per hour. Fuel capacity 48 litres. Engine is points ignition, and requires hand starting.

PRICE: $7500 CONTACT: Tony Meggs (02) 6689 1009

292 Airframe Hours, 292 Engine Hours, Edge X In excellent condition. Comes with full set of pumpkin head covers, fuel gauge, microair 760 radio, garmin 196 gps, 2 x helmets and headsets, intake silencer, and after muffler. Streak 2 wing, Rego until Jan 2019.

PRICE: $10500 CONTACT: David Mudie (02) 6947 1707 / 0414 643 368

291hrs, 85.4hrs since top overhaul at Jabiru with all current upgrades incl. fine finned heads, valve relief pistons, double valve springs etc. Complete CHT/ EGT monitoring, MGL VHF & fuel flow meter. Full logbook & history available. Long list upgrades/ replacements following period of storage. 470.

PRICE: $24500 CONTACT: Sebastian Pollock 0427 703 702

624 Airframe Hours, nil Engine Hours, Rans S6ES Coyote II 624TT Powered by Jabiru 2200 Fantastic Aircraft to fly, plenty of room for two large people. Two GPS units one Portable and one in dash, ballistic chute, full deluxe interior, Dual controls inc toe brakes, 2 noise reduction.

PRICE: $38000 CONTACT: Peter Tapp 0403 116 690

5654 JABIRU ST3

238 Airframe Hours, 238 Engine Hours, ST3.

Full engine rebuild @ 224 hrs. New tyres, engine mount rubbers, nose wheel bushes Great original

Rotax 582 parts Vertical radiator; muffler connection pipe; elbow; cessna gascolator, $600 the lot or seperate all new never used PRICE: $600 CONTACT: John Scott (no phone) SPORT PILOT | September 2018

63

Stacked_804C

Stack

AVIATION CLASSIFIEDS 5665 TECNAM BRAVO P 2004 - YEAR 2005

5671 AIRCRAFT 24-7060

HorsHam aviation services ABN: 65 007 339 451

Now Importing the eurofox AircrAft: • • • •

780 Airframe Hours, 720 Engine Hours, p 2004 bravo tecnam bravo p 2004 - year 2005. aircraft is ex demonstrator. have owned aircraft since 2006. airswitch and tacho meter. hangared and maintained. spats currently removed.

PRICE: $96500 CONTACT: John Middlemiss 0401 653 666

5666 SAVANNAH XL VG

Quality Factory Built Quick folding wing design Glider Tow certified to 750Kg Short take-off & landing

And Dynon Avionics Products:

188.6 Airframe Hours, 188.6 Engine Hours, J170C Low hour J170 Owner currently living in the UK so would like to offer this Jab for sale.

EMAIL: ab747858@yahoo.com PRICE: $50000 CONTACT: Andrew Brandon

• Now with Autopilot capability • Solid state sensors • Checklists • Audible alarm capability PH: 03 5381 1727 Email: info@horshamaviation.com.au

Stacked_804C

Stacked_801C

5672H JABIRU 170C 24-5398services orsHam aviation

56 / S PORT PILOT

ABN: 65 007 339 451

Now Importing the eurofox AircrAft:

645 Airframe Hours, 645 Engine Hours, XL VG Savannah XL VG, 645 hr tt, excellent condition, Rotax 912 - 645 hr, VFR panel, Gps, Bubble doors, Full Kuntsleman Strobes, Nav lights, Kiev anti vortex 3 Blade prop, electric Trim, always hangered.

PRICE: $48000 CONTACT: Leigh Grayson 0418 977 555

5667 WANTED

Wanted. Prop speed reduction unit to suit Subaru EA81. Prefer geared unit but belt drive OK. New or used. Must be in good condition or able to be reconditioned.

PRICE: $1000 CONTACT: Christopher Robert Stewart 0419 486 125

• • • •

Quality Factory Built Quick folding wing design Glider Tow certified to 750Kg Short take-off & landing

• Now with Autopilot capability • Solid state 370 Airframe Hours, nil sensors Engine Hours, J170C • Checklists For sale Due to present health issues Jabiru 170C • Audible alarm capability 24-5398, aircraft hangared at Wynyard Approx PH: 370 hours03 on5381 both1727 engine and airframe. In top Email: info@horshamaviation.com.au condition.

Maintained

by John McBryde who is happy for calls 0427 757 922.

PRICE: $59500 CONTACT: John Heidenreich 0419 324 250

5673 SAVANNAH

5668 AIRCRAFT 24-8267

439.1 (as of 14/8/2018) Airframe Hours, 439.1 (14/8/2018) Engine Hours, J170D Sadly this little aircraft is being put up for sale.

Meticulously cared for TT 439 hrs. Standard instrument cluster, Dynon D2, cold start kit, 135 litre wet wings average fuel burn 15 lph $72,000 neg, all inquiries are welcome.

PRICE: $72000 CONTACT: Owen Bray 0457 283 919

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COLUMN

FINAL APPROACH CHANGING TIMES From the editor Mark Smith

T

he other day I posted a story from a local paper on social media about a flying school at Moorabbin that uses RAAus airframes for their ab initio training.

I wasn’t making a value judgement on the school itself but rather just showing that RAAus airframes are being seen by some parts of the industry as a way of saving money for people working towards their commercial licence.

I wasn’t prepared for the responses that followed. Many aggressively were of the opinion that doing ab initio on such an aeroplane was simply a guarantee of unemployment in the industry, while others said you have to learn on a traditional GA airframe if you are to have any hope of mastering aircraft like the C210 or Cherokee Six. There were people who posted in favour of doing your first 40 hours with RAAus, at a good school as a way of saving potentially about $4000 over the equivalent number of hours in a 172, but they were in the minority.

It took me back to my ab initio training in a C150. I was young and so learning wasn’t that difficult for me but I still remember how hard it was to get the aeroplane to do my bidding, especially if there was a bit of wind or turbulence. I had good instruction and so soloed at about nine hours, flew the 172 and then went straight onto the Mooney, Bonanza, and C207.

My logbook shows I had about 50 hours on 150s and about 25 on the 172 when I did my CSU retractable endorsement on a Mooney M20J, VH-SPN. Total time with Lesley Scott Frith at Moorabbin to get the rating? 1.1hrs tacho. A week later I moved onto the Bonanza, VH-FWL. Process was the same. I read the book, went flying for an hour or so and was sent solo. For my own peace of mind I actually did a load check with Lesley. With two trusting friends in the back of the Bonanza we flew into my home strip of Barwon Heads which in those days was a 2200 foot grass strip. It wasn’t an issue.

I wasn’t a super talented student. I was young, still used to learning and I had great instructors.

When I did my RAAus checkout on a Tecnam P92 I didn’t find it much different

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than the old 150. It was a touch lighter, felt much the same in turbulence, and needed a touch more finesse to hold speeds due to its lower inertia. Over the time I’ve been editing aviation magazines I’ve flown most of the current crop of RAAus trainers in use at schools. Like all aeroplanes they have their minor differences but generally we’ve got pretty good at designing training aeroplanes so in essence they are all pretty benign, much like the 150, 172 or good old Piper Warrior.

Funny thing is these RAAus trainers are generally equipped with glass cockpits every bit as sophisticated as those found in new-build GA aeroplanes, exposing potential commercial students to the cockpit environment they will be using should they progress to modern GA airframes, for a lot less money.

What’s important isn’t the airframe, but the instructor. RAAus has been working hard to standardise instructing as the aeroplanes being used for training have become more complex. The RAAus schools that are attached to a regular GA flying school will be offering RAAus instruction every bit as good as their GA training. Same as many of the RAAus flying clubs.

Recently, in my travels for the magazine, I met a young pilot who was doing his RAAus instructor rating. He told me he started his training in RAAus, built a few hours after he did his navs then moved into GA and ended up flying Metro II’s for Brindabella Airlines.

His job now? C17 captain with the RAAF. I’ll be doing a yarn on him in a future magazine.

A previous issue of this magazine ran the story of a young RFDS pilot who again did his ab initio with RAAus. What am I getting at?

It’s time for people to park their prejudices at the front door of the aero club and accept RAAus training is here to stay and will be a growing part of the training path for professional pilots. A well trained pilot with 40 hours in a Tecnam will have no trouble moving up the line through heavier airframes. One of the funny things I found through my flying career was that heavier aeroplanes were actually easier to fly, provided you followed the speeds and stayed ahead of the aeroplane. That’s where training and discipline comes in and you can get that just as well in a Foxbat as in a 150.

Clear prop!

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