A NEW DAY DAWNS FOR THE GREAT EASTERN - R A AUS NOW OPEN! - Australian Sport Pilot Magazine
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RECREATIONAL AVIATION AUSTRALIA / MARCH 2018 VOL 79 [3]
RAAUS
IPS
SCHOLARSH
NOW OPEN!
A NEW DAY DAWNS
FOR THE GREAT EASTERN
RRP $8.80 inc GST
A VAMPIRE COMES INTO DAYLIGHT SNEAKY STALL PART 2 BIRDSVILLE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
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ON THE COVER
33 Evans above!
G A I TAY LO R
“The Great Eastern Fly-in at
Evans Head continues to build
its reputation as the go-to event
over the Christmas holidays.”
A ghostly shape emerges with the dawn at the
Great Eastern Fly-in. Photo: Richard Gates
12 MARAP approved 42 Taking home the Little Red Devil
REGULARS DA RREN B A RNF IEL D I A N H O NE Y
7 Chairman’s report T E C H M A N AG E R
8
10
Calendar of events
Letters to the Editor
13
13
Looking for Birdsville volunteers
New legs for Gazelle
FLY-INS
17 Vale gathering honours club
66 Happy Landings 15 Tecnam upgrades the P2008 stalwart
15 Accident at Emerald T ERRY T R AV ER S
COLUMNISTS 15 New Rotax fires up 32 Evans above!
38 Tech talk G A I TAY LO R
DA RREN B A RNF IEL D FEATURE STORIES
T E C H M A N AG E R
Right seat anecdotes
The Vampire comes into the
19 EXTRAS
45 daylight 7 Digital directions
DAV ID P. E Y RE A L A N B E T T ERID G E 24 RAAus Scholarships now open
47 Pilot talk Pipistrel electric goes cross
30 26 New products - LED lights
T HE O P S T E A M country
M A R T IN H O NE
49 Learning to fly B RI A N B I G G
47 Professional Development
M A R T IN C A ST EL L A 50 The sneaky stall Part 2 Seminar schedule
57 Home builder RO B KNI G H T 54 Improvements to the member’s
DAV E ED M U ND S portal login
READER STORIES 55 RAAus facts. Did you know?
NEWS 23 A great place to fly 59 Aviation Classifieds
12 Parkes to celebrate proud history G REG O’ S H A NNE S SY 65 Where is CAGIT?
WA RWI C K TO M 29 Getting competitive
12 Aerodrome update LU KE B AY LY
30
Sport Pilot Magazine is an official publication of
Recreational Aviation Australia Ltd and is published
twelve times a year by Stampils Publishing.
EDITOR
Brian Bigg 19
editor@sportpilot.net.au
All enquiries 1300 838 416
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3 / SPORT PILOT
HEAD OFFICE NATIONAL SAFETY, RISK AND
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Jill Bailey Tony King
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RECREATIONAL
AVIATIO N AUSTRALIA
/ MARCH 2018
VOL 79 [3]
0400 280 087 Tony.King@raa.asn.au
ASSISTANT Alan Middleton
OPERATIONS MANAGER 0407 356 948
Neil Schaefer alan.middleton@raa.asn.au
iPad
ops@raa.asn.au
Trevor Bange
RAAUS PS 0428 282 870
RSHI
SCHOLA EN!
NOW OP
0429 378 370
NATIONAL Trevor.Bange@raa.asn.au
TECHNICAL MANAGER
RECREATIONAL
AVIATION AUSTRAL
IA / MARCH 2018
VOL 79 [3]
Eugene Reid
Darren Barnfield
0428 824 700
techmgr@raa.asn.au
Eugine.Reid@raa.asn.au
0417 942 977
NS
A NEW DAY DAW EASTERN ASSISTANT
Rod Birrell
T
RAAUS
FOR THE GREA
SCHOLARSHIPS
NOW OPEN!
(03) 9744 1305
TECHNICAL MANAGER
RRP $8.80 inc GST
S NEEDED
BIRDSVILLE VOLUNTEER
INTO DAYLIGHT
SNEAKY STALL PART
2
Rod.Birrell@raa.asn.au
A VAMPIRE COMES
Jared Smith
jared.smith@raa.asn.au Luke Bayly
0418 125 393 0421 463 967
A NEW DAY DAW Luke.bayly@raa.asn.au
FOR THE GREAT NS
EAST ERN
FIND YOUR NEAREST FLIGHT SCHOOL OR CLUB
A VAMPIRE COMES
INTO DAYLIGHT
SNEAKY STALL PART
2 BIRDSVILLE VOLUN RRP $8.80 inc GST
TEERS NEEDED
www.raa.asn.au/schools
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TERMS AND CONDITIONS
All content in this magazine belongs to Stampils Publishing and is protected by Australian and international copyright and other intellectual property laws. You may
not do anything which interferes with or breaches those laws or the intellectual property rights in the content. All rights not expressly granted under these terms of
use are reserved by Stampils Publishing. Unless expressly stated otherwise, you are not permitted to copy, or republish anything you find in the magazine without
the copyright or trademark owners’ permission. The magazine title, as well as the associated logo of Recreational Aviation Australia Ltd, are the property of RAAus.
However, Stampils Publishing, Daniella Banco of Spank Design and Karin Middleton, of Cachekat, reserve the right to be acknowledged as the magazine’s designers.
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
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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.
4 / SPORT PILOT
PARKES
AERO
SPECTACULAR
70th Anniversary
Public Aerobatic Airshow
Saturday 14th April 2018 (10AM – 4PM)
Aerobatics & aircraft handling displays, RAAF Roulettes,
historic aircraft tours, helicopters, model aircraft, aviation and
motoring exhibits, family friendly entertainment and catering.
TICKETS: Parkes Aero Club: https://www.facebook.com/ParkesAero/
NOTE: Online ticket purchasers eligible to win REX return airfares anywhere on the REX NSW network, excluding Broken Hill and Mildura.
Helicopter joyride and otherprizes, winners drawn on the day.
CH AIRMAN ’ S REPORT
Having a bleat
BY MIC HAEL MONC K
M
OST people enjoy having a good whinge. It can be therapeutic On top of this we publish an annual report each year, outlining all the
to have a vent. When we rant, our bodies release endorphins other things going on in the organisation. As well, I keep members up to
which relieve stress. Getting things off your chest is also a date through this column each month, Sport Pilot always has the very
time honoured way of getting problems out in the open. latest information from the office and the regular e-news email gets
But at the end of the day, having a good whinge does no good to sent out to everyone each month. We also hold regular public forums,
anyone if you don’t actually do anything productive once you are done our professional development series for flying schools has now begun
moaning. and so on. But despite all this flood of information, some people take
Part of my role as the Chair of RAAus is to listen to members vent- pleasure in saying things which are demonstrably false.
ing. My job is to figure out when the problem is real, when the person I can only imagine some people derive satisfaction from the suffering
just feels like they need to be heard and when the whinging is pure and of others. And when there is no suffering, they feel the need to create
utter rubbish. I feel like I have spent the past few days dealing almost some. The Germans have a word for it – schadenfreude. It means taking
exclusively with the latter sort. pleasure in someone else’s misfortune. The problem for schadenfreude
It began with a series of posts on an online forum deriding RAAus sufferers at the moment is that we have no misfortune, so they don’t get
and our attempts to gain additional privileges for pilots who do not hold no satisfaction. Thus the need to spread false information.
a CASA qualification. For a start, the posts completely misrepresented In recent times RAAus has made significant progress streamlining
RAAus by intimating that we had recently walked into the CASA offices, its operations. Our systems have undergone massive improvement and
banged our fists on the table and demanded a weight increase. Inter- we now have online access to many member and school resources. Our
estingly, we have had conversations in recent days on this topic, but SMS continues to roll out, which will relieve the need for schools and
they were much more civilised than this post would have you believe. clubs to invest thousands of dollars inventing their own. All in all, a lot of
We actually had a rational discussion with CASA about a transition plan successes. Maybe that is what is attracting the attention?
and a potential path to achieving our goal. Our approach has been to We have spent the past few decades pointing the finger at CASA
develop a path to allow pilots to continue engaging in their passion, and telling the world that the demise of aviation is their fault. At the
even when they no longer want to remain in the CASA system (no mat- same time, we have run around pointing the finger at other aviation
ter the reason). Our approach is one of cooperation, not conflict. organisations, claiming they’re about to go broke or they’re throwing
It does not help our argument when people generate rumours and their weight around demanding things. All the while, aviation is crum-
innuendo. We should be working with each other. It seems ludicrous bling around us.
to me that individuals who purport to be in support of aviation set out I think the regulator does have things to answer for, but I also think
to rip it apart by telling lies (yes ‘lies’ is a strong word -but it is also the there are individuals who need to take a good long hard look at them-
most correct word to use when describing the things being said). selves and ask themselves a simple question – am I part of the prob-
Following on from these online rants, I began to get calls from wor- lem? Can they answer themselves honestly?
ried members concerned about the financial state of RAAus. It turns So while I could have been doing something positive and working
out that yet again, more lies were being told and posted in public plac- to advance aviation in Australia this past couple of weeks, some peo-
es. Another so-called ‘source’ was suggesting RAAus was “on the verge ple have been trying to distract me by throwing stones. It’s about time
of financial collapse with weeks”. they (and we) grew up and realise we all have to accept some of the
As Chair of the organisation, I feel it is important to maintain a level responsibility for the state of aviation in this country today. If I was a
of transparency so members understand the current state of affairs. teenager, trying to decide whether to be a doctor or a pilot, and I saw
RAAus publishes annual audited financial reports which are assessed the ridiculous behaviour of some in the aviation fraternity, I reckon I
by qualified accountants. They look at our accounts, bank statements would choose to be a doctor. Encouraging people into aviation means
and even the petty cash tin. They sign a legally enforceable document leading by example, preferably a positive one.
to tell the government that RAAus is trading solvently…that it is in good So that’s my whinge. I do feel better having got it off my chest. Now
financial shape. I’m off to do something positive for aviation. What about you?
There are many ways to interact
DIGITAL DIRECTIONS with RAAus these days.
Website: www.raa.asn.au
Member portal: www.members.raa.asn.au/login
Lodge an occurrence: www.oms.raa.asn.au/lodge
Back issues of Sport Pilot: www.raa.asn.au/sport-pilot-magazine
Subscribe to printed Sport Pilot: www.raa.asn.au/sport-pilot-magazine-application
RAAus shop: www.shop.raa.asn.au
Sport Pilot online: www.raa.asn.au/sport-pilot-magazine
ENewsletter: www.raa.asn.au/become-a-member/member-benefits/e-news
7 / SPORT PILOT
CA LEN D AR OF EVEN TS
A. 11 MARCH
CLIFTON FLY-IN D. 31 MARCH -1 APRIL
HOLBROOK EASTER FLY-IN
Lone Eagle Flying School’s annual fly-in
includes International Women In Aviation Holbrook Ultralight Club invites you to fly-in for this unique recreational
Week. This has become an iconic event in aviation event. Experience, learn and share with forums on Saturday
the region and is the premier attraction for afternoon and see an interesting collection of historic aircraft on display.
all types of aviation in southern Queensland. Stay overnight for an enjoyable dinner Saturday and breakfast Sunday– all
See various types, shapes, sizes and models at the airfield. Fly-in trophies will be awarded. Underwing camping and
of recreational, ultralight and homebuilt transport to and from Holbrook township for fuel and accommodation will
aircraft including sport, vintage, general be available. For more information, www.holbrookultralightclub.asn.au or
aviation and any other flying machines. John Harley 0456 357 735.
Come late pm Saturday, 11th for BBQ,
drinks and hangar talk. Fly or drive in, see
ERSA. On field camping, bring your swag.
Advise for catering. For more information
www.loneeagleflyingschool.org.au,
Facebook.com/LoneEagleFlyingSchool or
Trevor Bange 0429 378 370.
B. 11 MARCH
TYABB AIRSHOW
An impressive day with some of the best
performers. The Peninsula Aero Club
has a proud tradition of supporting local
community service clubs with the proceeds
of its shows. All visiting aircraft should plan
to arrive before 10:30 because access will
not be granted after that time. For more
information, http://www.tyabbairshow.com. F. 13-15 APRIL
DENILIQUIN
AERO CLUB FLY-IN
C. 17 MARCH Opening of the first stage of
CENTENARY OF FLIGHT AIRSHOW the recognition of WW2 No7
Flying School Deniliquin.
It will be 100 years since the first Weekend will include a
operational military flights in Australia. mini air show, OzRunways
These were conducted from Yarram presentation and hangar
in a FE2B aircraft out into Bass Strait E. 25 MARCH dinner. A highlight will
looking for the German raiding ship The WARBIRDS OVER SCONE be a presentation by Sky
Wolf. This operation was flown by Capt. High Opera- CoOpera of
Frank McNamara VC from the Australian Lots of noise and spectacular ‘The Barber of Seville’ in
Flying Corp. Yarram Aero Club will honour heavy metal thunder. Paul a WW2 hangar. Stay for
the centenary of the event. For more Bennet will also perform. the famous Deni Aero Club
information, yarramcentenaryofflight. For more information, Sunday breakfast. For
com.au, Brian Lucas 0428 527 237 or https://www.facebook.com/ more information, www.
Facebook.com/YarramCOF. WarbirdsOverScone. deniliquinaeroclub.com
8 / SPORT PILOT
CA LEN D AR OF EVEN TS
H. 14-16 APRIL
CLASSIC FIGHTERS AIRSHOW
Omaka Heritage Fighters airshow J
in Marlborough, New Zealand. Lots A
of aussie pilots head across the
ditch to see hundreds of classic L K
G I
aircraft on display and in the air. For F M E
more information, Facebook.com/ C D
classicfightersomaka or http://www. B
classicfighters.co.nz.
I. 21-22 APRIL L. 29 APRIL
COFFS HARBOUR AIRSHOW WINGS, WHEELS AND WINE
Postponed from last year. Lots of flying This great community event will be back in
activity in one of the most beautiful parts of 2018, bigger and better than ever before!
the world. For more information, facebook. Bring the whole family along as the Mudgee
com/Coffs-Coast-Airshow. Aero Club hosts a great day full of kid’s
entertainment, market stalls, food and
wine tasting, a car show and an action
J. 21-22 APRIL packed program of aerial displays. For more
information, www.wingswheelsandwine.
TAVAS GREAT WAR FLYING DISPLAY com.au.
This will be The Australian Vintage Aviation
Society’s third (and possibly final) event to
commemorate all pilots of all wars over the
past 100 years. The display in Caboolture
is expected to attract tens of thousands of
people, be the largest event of its type in
Queensland and involve the only collection
of flying pre-WWI and WWI type aircraft. The
display will also feature aircraft from WW2,
Korea and Vietnam and aircraft currently in
service with the ADF. The 21st will also be
the centenary of the shooting down of the
Red Baron – so expect an appearance by
the famous Fokker. For more information,
www.tavas.com.au.
K. 28 APRIL
PORT MACQUARIE FLY-IN AND FLY & SPY
Hastings District Flying Club invites
all aviators to gather in beautiful Port
M. 5-6 MAY
WINGS OVER ILLAWARRA
Macquarie for a weekend of aviation
fun and fellowship. On Saturday, aircrew Solo and formation aerobatic displays,
can participate in the Fly and Spy fun classic warbirds and amazing vintage
observation trial or simply soak up the
G. 14 APRIL friendly club atmosphere. Fly and Spy
aircraft. The Australian Defence Force will
display loud, fast fighter jets and huge heavy
PARKES AERO SPECTACULAR involves teams answering questions as transport aircraft. Also walk among the fully-
they fly a set course in the local area, but restored Super Constellation and record
Displays by the Roulettes, HARS does not involve difficult navigation. A breaking Qantas 747, along with restored
multi engine aircraft and Paul presentation dinner will be held afterwards WW2 fighters. A new feature this year will
Bennet aerobatics. Great aviation in the clubhouse. The aim is to promote be world class freestyle motocross displays
spectacle at Parkes Regional aviation activity and fellowship in the throughout the day and a carnival with rides
Airport. For more information, Hastings area. For more information, Rod for young and old, all included in the entry
www.123tix.com.au/events/1131/ Davison at roddavo194@gmail.com, 0419 ticket price. For more information, www.
parkes-aero-spectacular-air-show. 632 477 or www.hdfc.com.au. wingsoverillawarra.com.au.
9 / SPORT PILOT
L E T T ERS TO TH E ED ITOR
A weakness in a GPS is that the moving map sitting quietly on the floor, unrestrained. I’m
CASA RANT picture is merely a representation of the sure he attempted a smile to reassure me
I just read Dave Edmunds rant about CASA calculated position (not where you physically that he would behave. After that flight, Taffy
(Sport Pilot November 2017). are). So, if your GPS signal is electronically often travelled with me, sometimes as the
altered and the GPS calculates a position only passenger, using the helicopter as his
Couldn’t agree more. What a waste of
several hundred miles away (I’ve seen this personal transport. He often waited for me
resources to achieve roadblocks everywhere. I
happen as well), guess what you see on your at outstation pads and, when I opened the
have no faith that anything will improve in our
electronic flight bag moving map? door, jumped in and behaved like a perfect
PC world.
According to technicians I know, GPS passenger. Sometimes he politely declined
GORDON WILSON to get off for several stops, after I opened the
frequencies are the easiest of all to
electronically jam and/or alter. Almost all door, before eventually leaving me to pursue
BUGSMASHER BLUES military forces around the world have GPS
jamming capability and, if someone ever
his doggy interests. He never put a paw
wrong, unlike some humans I have flown. As
I have just finished reading Dave Tonks’s letter pushes the button, they will not hesitate to the Editor discovered (Sport Pilot September
on Dinosaur Glamping (Sport Pilot November fiddle with the GPS system to either take 2017), in the early days, the regulations
2017). Like Dave I also am a dinosaur (old advantage of their enemy, or to deflect an were non-existent, flexible or open to
school). However, I don’t drive a Drifter, I attack. Then there are the terrorist groups. interpretation.
drive a bugsmasher (Quicksilver GT400). As PHIL LATZ
I read through Dave’s letter I could relate Trust me, CASA has your safety in mind. The
to just about everything this man said. The map never lies.
bugsmasher, like the Drifter, is an open
cockpit aircraft - a very open cockpit. Not
KEITH WHEELER MEMBERSHIP EXPIRES
the best place to be trying to read a chart I recently went on holiday and my
or anything else that might be loose in the DODGY DOG RESPONSE membership ran out while I was on the
cockpit at 3,500ft. In saying this, I have not cruise part, no internet. When I returned I
The Editor should stand for election in federal
had a chart or NOTAM go through my prop as could not access the portal because I had
politics. The reply to Dodgy Dog 1 and Dog
yet. But somewhere between Wiseman’s Ferry been ‘cancelled’ and could not renew over
2 (Sport Pilot December 2017) would fit into
and Mt Quoid in a heap of tiger country, is one the phone because everyone was on leave
what could be described as spin. I have written
very good pair of polaroid sunglasses. Clean (I don’t have a problem with anyone having
to the Editor on several occasions in response
off my nose but I was not going to go back and holidays).
to some of his articles. Furthermore, he
look for them – too many trees. criticises CASA employees and condones entry I have submitted a solution that would
Dave, you are blessed mate. You can put into controlled airspace simply because you have helped and allowed me (and probably
2x20 fuel cans of extra fuel on your back seat. can. We are trying to get approval from CASA others) to renew through the portal if their
I would love to be able to do that, but I only to change the regulations to allow some of us circumstances warranted it.
have one seat. In closing, Dave, don’t concern to enter CTA. I don’t believe criticising CASA will I feel that a suspension with limited access to
yourself about the washing, its large enough help. And please don’t try and tell me how to the renewal page, at least, for three months
not to miss it! it’s the bloody pegs you leave on do crosswind landings! would have helped. A suspension and
the line, going through the prop that does all Whether there are regulations regarding continued access would have allowed me to
the damage. carriage of animals in the cockpit or not, pay online. Because I had not notified you of
Thank you, Dave, for perhaps one of the best common sense and a modicum of Airmanship, my ending flying operations, I was annoyed it
stories I have read in Sport Pilot. And thank would dictate you leave your pet behind. was automatic that I was cancelled without
you Editor for printing it. I have not laughed so any thought to a member’s predicaments at
GIANCARLO BERTELLI
much for such a long time and the tears are the time.
still running down my face as I type this reply. MICHAEL SWAN
BOB SIMMONS DOGGY STORY 3 FROM THE ADMIN TEAM / Since submitting
In Fiji, I flew at least once a week to resupply this letter to the Editor, Michael has been
and service a gold exploration company called and the issue resolved. Ordinarily, if a
GPS HEADACHES camp in the rough, jungle covered mountains membership expires, members have 30 days
I’m responding to the letter to the Editor ‘GPS behind Suva. This was in a Bell J2 four seat to renew without interruption. It’s important
Leadership’ (Sport Pilot November 2017). machine which had a three passenger seats to renew within 30 days, after that time, you
In a perfect world, you are right to say that across the back with the pilot sitting in front, are no longer covered by RAAus insurance.
nobody should get lost using a functioning close to the bubble, with the instrument We have now introduced limited renewal only
GPS. However this is not a perfect world and console off to one side. Early on, I flew a access for people whose membership lapses
there several reasons why CASA does not want caged cat and smart imported dog up to the for longer than 30 days.
pilots to rely totally on the GPS as a primary camp. The geologists gradually spread their
area of operations, so some days I visited a
means of navigation. Simply, if your GPS fails
or the GPS system in your region malfunctions, number of helipads on their lease. BE PREPARED
The article ‘Experience can be a killer’ (Sport
you will very quickly have no idea where you The camp dog, a friendly creature, often
Pilot November 2017) asks the question: Why
are going unless you have a map with you. So followed the workers around the area.
are experienced pilots more vulnerable to
what can go wrong? One day I dropped in to an outstation helipad accidents than other pilots?
Your battery/power supply can fail; to collect a geologist and both he and the dog
The answer, in some cases, is quite simple
Your heavily trusted GPS can lock up (I have got in.
we have forgotten the golden rule of our Boy
seen this happen); or “Don’t worry, I’ll hold Taffy’s collar”, the man Scout days “Be Prepared”. Some of the fault
Your GPS becomes subject to radio said. must go to poor training, where pilots have
interference. After takeoff, I turned my head and saw Taffy not been counselled in continuing awareness
10 / SPORT PILOTL E T T ERS TO TH E ED ITOR
of flying conditions. Familiarity is another confusing than helpful. areas, but I will need to be convinced that I
cause. I learned all that years ago. Firstly, in Weight in Balance Part 1 (Sport need to attend and spend money on travel and
Consider this example. We are flying along, Pilot September 2017) the description of accommodation.
minding our own business, when smoke the centre of lift moving forward applies only Hopefully you will be publishing articles on Part
belches out from under the engine cowling. to rigid aerofoils, of certain cross sections, 149 and its effects on the members. Not all
The pilot can hardly believe his eyes and now in particular parts of the alpha range, and members will attend the seminars, so you will
his mind must try and recall, “what was in the ignores the much greater contributions from need to spread the message.
POH concerning engine fire?” If this is you, the tailplane and elevator. I would also add that CASA has been talking
you are about to have a bad day. Immediate Secondly, the lengthy discussion of moments about Part 149 for at least 20 years. The copy I
reaction is required if you are to survive. is puzzling and unnecessary. All the pilot have seen was only a few pages long. This says
Your body needs to react intuitively - Fuel off, needs to know in this regard is: ensure something about government efficiency.
Electrical power off, Nose down to increase the weight and balance (C of G) is within Keep up the good work with the magazine.
speed to possibly blow out the fire. If you the specified limits, all controls have full
can’t see for the smoke, Right rudder to set movement and obey the specified flight MIKE TONKS
up a skid. The POH for each aircraft type envelope (including minimum speeds, FROM THE CEO / We look forward to getting
should detail what action to take. maximum bank etc). to WA in June. Because Part 149 has been so
If there is an option to land in the sea, on Thirdly, the calculations of C of G location nebulous for so long we haven’t spoken much
the beach or in a field, which do I take? The show results accurate to 0.01mm (Sport about it. For members, essentially, there
answer should have been decided years Pilot November 2017) and 0.001mm (Sport will be no change. For flight schools, Philip
ago, not now. Each time you fly, you should Pilot November 2017). This is a tenth of the explains.
be asking yourself these questions to bring diameter of a human hair but may cause FROM PHILIP FOX, RAAUS SAFETY
the answer to the front of your mind. In other many readers to think their efforts to balance MANAGER / One of the main effects
words, you have made the decision before their plane are futile. The figures should be CASR Part 149 will have on schools is that
the event occurs. rounded to the nearest millimetre, which RAAus must have a functioning Safety
Quickness of reaction to an emergency is everyone can picture. Management System in place. In reviewing
paramount. Unfortunately, many senior As regards the quiz, some questions need your comments it is clear to me that the
pilots have forgotten this and not kept up assumptions to answer. For example (Sport lack of communication on CASR Part 149
their familiarity with procedures. If you have Pilot November 2017) “In a steep slipping over the past six months from head office
to think about what to do, it will be too late. turn to the left, the balance ball will be:” We has, in part, been due to my focus on
Trainees and low hour pilots are more familiar don’t know which way the slip is; it depends designing and developing a Flight Training
with it because it is fresh in their minds. on whether too little or too much rudder has School Safety Manual. This manual will
On every flight pilots should be thinking, been applied. enable schools to function within the SMS
“if this or that happens what do I do?” And And “...A pilot reduces the angle of attack in a manner both scalable and responsive
that should start as you taxi out for take-off. from 9 to 4 degrees … effect on the Centre to the size and complexity of each school.
Engine failure, wind effect, birds, airspeed of Pressure?” (Sport Pilot October 2017). The good news is that all CFIs are set to
indicator failure, these should be your This depends on the large elevator input, and receive an electronic Safety Toolbox during
thoughts when taxying. Be one step ahead of cannot be determined. April which has been designed to guide
the aircraft and in an emergency, reflexes will them through the process of setting up a
The second article on Weight in Balance
take over. Flight Training School Safety Manual (which
(Sport Pilot November 2017) is much better.
will come about 85% completed for you).
OWEN BARTROP If we leave the decimal places off the arms
The manual is an integral part of the SMS
FROM THE OPS DEPT / Owen’s letter and moments, it is all good advice.
and will enable the Accountable Manager
supports the key elements of the Pilot Talk IAN BRYCE (as part of CASR Part 149) to meet his/
article. Maintaining a “chronic state of her safety responsibilities. Rest assure
awareness” of all the possibilities at any
instant of the flight is fundamental to staying FROM THE WEST you have at least six months to finalise and
introduce this document, however those
ahead of the aeroplane and not developing I have read a bit about Part 149, which deals who prefer to be early adopters stand to
complacency. with approvals for organisations self-managing gain the most personalised assistance and
various aviation activities. So I am a little ultimately a better outcome. A small portion
confused as to why the RAAus is running of the professional development program
WEIGHTY QUESTIONS seminars all over the country for the members. is dedicated to working through the Safety
There is concern about the articles on Will it have any effect on us?? Toolbox with CFIs. This face-to-face time is
Weight and Balance (Sport Pilot September, It is always good to see and talk to the staff designed to streamline the introduction of
November and December 2017) and the quiz. and board members over here in the west. the Safety Manual and will enable schools to
I believe there is some material which is more We rarely see them, especially in the country begin functioning within the SMS.
WRITE IN: EDITOR@SPORTPILOT.NET.AU
The state of the organisation is reflected in the Letters to the Editor columns. The more letters – the healthier the organisation.
So don’t just sit there – get involved. Your contributions are always welcome, even if no one else agrees with your opinion.
The Editor makes every effort to run all letters, even if the queue gets long at certain times of the year.
(By the way – the Editor reserves the right to edit Letters to the Editor to shorten them to fit the space available, to improve the
clarity of the letter or to prevent libel. The opinions and views expressed in the Letters to the Editor are those of the individual
writer and neither RAAus or Sport Pilot magazine endorses or supports the views expressed within them).
11 / SPORT PILOTIN TH E N EW S
PARKES TO CELEBRATE PROUD HISTORY
BY WARWIC K TOM
T 14
HE Parkes Aero Club will celebrate 70 Lockheed Neptune is currently pending and advanced recreational and gen-
years of flying with a spectacular air transfer from Townsville for restora- eral aviation training in the central
display in April involving the local com- tion and display. west of NSW.
munity, flying clubs and professional organi-
sations. Both the Historical Aircraft Restora-
PAC members participate in muse-
um activities and HARS has committed
A P RIL isedOver the years, PAC has organ-
and hosted numerous fly-ins,
tion Society and Parkes Shire Council have to providing full support to planning and competitions and national events,
given their support to the day. Negotiations carrying out the PAC70 event, including ap- such as the Australian Aerobatic Champi-
are underway for the RAAF and other major propriate aircraft flypasts, on-ground aircraft onships, Major PAC airshows in 1985 and
service organisations to also participate in tours and museum exhibits. 1995, featuring the Roulettes. The Roulettes
the display. Parkes Aero Club was formed in 1948 and several multi engine planes from HARS,
HARS has a satellite branch based in shortly after the RAAF station was decom- such as Caribou, Convair, DC3 and Neptune,
Parkes, at the Aviation Museum. Exhibits in- missioned. It is a not-for-profit community will be on show as well as Paul Bennet’s
clude an RAAF Caribou, a Harvard, a Jindivik sporting organisation, operating out of the aircraft performing their amazing routines.
drone and aviation military and civilian tech- recently upgraded regional airport. The club We’d love to see you there.
nology. A Convair CV580 recently completed is one of the oldest continuously operated For more information, http://www.parke-
its last ever flight to Parkes and an ex RAAF aero clubs in Australia, supporting primary saero.com.au.
AERODROME
UPDATE
AIRSERVICES has asked for help to
verify the accuracy of information they
have about a number of aerodromes,
aeroplane landing areas and helicopter
landing sites.
Owners and operators of a number
of locations are being asked to fill in a
form confirming information such as
contact details, aerodrome reference
point and the number of movements.
Much of the information about aero-
dromes not in the Enroute Supplement MARAP APPROVED
can be decades old. CASA’s regula-
tions require processes to be in place
BY DARREN BARNFIELD T EC H M AN AG E R
to manage the integrity of aeronautical DURING the CASA audit from years ago, it signed an amendment to Civil Aviation
information and this is now needed for was discovered that a substantial number Order (CAO) 95.55 approving the MARAP
aerodromes not in the Enroute Supple- of RAAus Type Certified aircraft had under- process.
ment and for aeroplane landing areas gone a range of modifications. RAAus received the following confirma-
and helicopter landing sites. At the time, it was clear that various tion email: “I am pleased to advise RAAus
According to Airservices, the infor- interpretations of the regulations, and that CASA has finalised the review of
mation about these locations in the sometimes even a lack of understanding MARAP applications and hereby approves
aeronautical information package is im- of the regulations, had led to these modi- the application approval process. CASA
portant for a range of reasons, particu- fications. None of them had any safety im- wishes you well in your future application
larly now it is used in CASA’s ‘Can I Fly plications. They had been carried out in all of the MARAP process”.
There?’ drone app. Drone operators use cases to improve the safety of an aircraft. The RAAus Tech department would like
the app to identify areas where aircraft But the modifications had been done with- to thank the members who participated
are flying at low altitudes to avoid the out an appropriate approval process – be- in the process. We would also thank eve-
risk of collisions. Pilots who use aero- cause such a thing simply did not exist. ryone who had pending applications who
dromes or aircraft landing areas on the As a result of the CASA audit, the RAAus were understanding and supportive during
list are asked to bring the aerodrome technical team came up with a process the consultation process. Any time a big
data validation process to the atten- and concept for something we called the change is proposed, there are delays and
tion of owners and operators of the lo- Modification and Repair Approval Process extra scrutiny.
cations. For more information, https:// (MARAP). We asked CASA to allow us to ap- But the good news is now official. If you
tinyurl.com/ya2hd832. prove such modifications in the future – all have a Type Certified aircraft on the RAAus
according to strict guidelines. register with potential legacy modifica-
In October, following a formal review by tions and want to take advantage of the
the CASA Sport Aircraft section and the MARAP process, review it via the RAAus
CASA legal department, the then CASA Di- Technical Manual or contact the RAAus
rector of Aviation Safety, Mark Skidmore, technical team.
12 / SPORT PILOTIN TH E N EW S
LOOKING FOR
BIRDSVILLE
VOLUNTEERS
BALLINA Aero Club is looking for volunteers
to help it manage the airspace in and around
Birdsville during the famous horse racing car-
nival in September.
The club has managed the airport and air-
space around Birdsville during the races suc-
cessfully for a number of years.
Club members say it’s both a wonderful ex-
perience and proven revenue stream for the
club’s chosen charity, a scholarship fund to
assist deserving young people involved with
studies within aviation and related fields.
The Birdsville Airport team operates on a
roster system so volunteers will still get plenty
of time to see the sights of the town during the
race carnival.
For more information, www.ballinaaero-
club.org.au.
NEW LEGS FOR
GAZELLE
THE much loved Skyfox Ga-
zelle CA25N now has a new
suspension system.
The new design is a great
improvement on the old shock
strut system. Gone is the old
bonded rubber strut system
which wears out over time.
The new shock strut system
is rubber free and easy to in-
stall. The new shock struts
are very cost effective and
maintenance is by simple re-
placement of Bungee rings.
For more information, con-
tact the RAAus Tech depart-
ment.
13 / SPORT PILOTIN TH E N EW S
TECNAM UPGRADES THE P2008
TECNAM has announced EASA approval of an upgraded version of its on a single display. Synthetic vision is standard on G3X Touch, which pro-
popular two-seater, the P2008. vides a three-dimensional depiction of terrain, obstacles, water features
The P2008JC MkII will feature a number of enhancements, includ- and the runway environment. Not that it has any application to RAAus.
ing a new avionics suite, a new design of both the dashboard and but the MkII is also available as Night VFR.
glare shield and the introduction of Garmin’s G3X Touch display with Tecnam has upgraded the interior options, redesigned the doors
a MD302 attitude instrument. and now offers an option of two or three bladed propellers, for pilots
The Garmin G3X Touch uses two large screens to provide a split- who fly on noise-restricted airfields.
screen mode with the option to view PFD, MFD and engine information For more information, visit www.tecnam.com.au.
NEW ROTAX FIRES UP
THERE’S a new Rotax on the way for light aircraft.
BRP has announced it has received a European Aviation Safety
Agency Type Certificate for its new Rotax 915 iSc3 A engine.
General manager BRP-Rotax, Thomas Uhr said the new engine
Photo: ABC News would allow the company to fulfil its customers’ requests for a more
powerful engine with proven reliability.
“Not only has the certification been achieved within the prom-
ACCIDENT AT EMERALD ised time schedule, but the engine has been certified to even higher
power than originally announced.” Thomas reported.
A SINGLE seat Flightstar aircraft, registration number 10-0780, was Instead of 100kW (136hp) maximum power, the engine will of-
involved in an accident on Sunday January 14 in the Emerald area of fer 104kW (141hp) maximum power and 99kW (135hp) maximum
Queensland. continuous power.
The occupant of the aircraft, Tim White aged 54, died in the ac- The increased power will be available up to at least 15,000ft. It
cident. According to preliminary reports, the aircraft departed Emer- will also offer the possibility for aircraft engineers to use the engine
ald airport on the morning of January 14 on a routine training exer- when designing a four-place aircraft.
cise. The aircraft impacted with terrain 15kms south of the airfield at So far 12 companies, in-
approximately 7.30am. At this stage it is too early to speculate as to cluding Tecnam, BRM Aero,
the cause of the accident. NIKI Rotor Aviation,
RAAus investigators are working with police and will prepare a BlackWing and Zlin Avia-
written report for the coroner. tion have integrated the
RAAus provides specialised subject matter expertise to assist 915 iSc3 A engine into
police when investigating accidents of this nature. Areas of investiga- their aircraft.
tion typically include environmental, mechanical and operational fac- Rotax says it will now concen-
tors. Should RAAus identify any safety related matters which apply to trate on getting certification for
the membership, this will be notified as soon as possible. the engine from the FAA. Other coun-
RAAus also extends its deepest sympathies to Tim’s family and tries will follow. For more information,
friends. www.rotax.com.
15 / SPORT PILOTFLY -IN S
THE VALE
GATHERING HONOURS
CLUB STALWART
BY TERRY TR AVERS
N
ESTLED at the foot of spectacular Mt workers behind the scenes. Clockwise from the top:
Part of the fleet gathered
Roland in north western Tasmania, Six days before this year’s gathering, Sandra,
on the property (Pic:
The Vale is a second home for the the Australian Women Pilots Association national Leigh Bryan); AWPA
Devonport Aero Club. Property owners, Simon vice-president, was killed in a crash in north east national Vice-President
and Anna Hackett, operate a Pilatus PC12 from Tasmania. Barry was hospitalised. Sandra Southwell (Pic:
the more than one kilometre long grass strip and
generously allow club members and visitors to
With Barry’s With Barry’s blessing, the fly-in went ahead
as scheduled, with 40 planes (several of which
Tony Hardwick); The Vale
airstrip nestled in the
use the facilities, including the clubhouse.
Previous owners, Philip and Nikki de Bom-
blessing, the crossed Bass Strait) and 40 cars bringing in
more than 200 people. As a poignant tribute to
valley below Mt Roland,
NW Tasmania; Simon
ford, assisted by DAC, inaugurated a charity fly-in went Sandra, a minute’s silence was held, then a me-
and Anna Hackett’s
impressive Pilatus
fly-in on Australia Day, which has rapidly grown
to become a statewide attraction, each year ahead as morial speech which acknowledged her aviation
achievements; from her first trip after qualifica-
PC-12 making short
work of the landing
raising thousands of dollars. Barry Bransden
and Sandra Southwell, who hangared their
scheduled tion, flying their Tecnam around Australia with
Barry, through to her latest work with youth schol-
(Pic: Gary McArthur)
Cessna 182 at The Vale, have been tireless arships and the AWPA.
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18 / SPORT PILOTA I R C RAFT FEATU RE
The VAMPIRE
light
comes into the day
BY AL AN BE T TERIDGE
T
HE Sadler Vampire has been around in various pose designed and built trailer. Folding the wings does not
guises and built by a number of different manu- require the control cables to be disconnected.
facturers over the years. Although the aircraft The original aircraft was powered by a 20hp, single
itself has an almost cult-like following, it has never re- cylinder Solo engine but most examples in Australia have
ally made inroads into the mainstream ultralight arena. been powered by either KFM107 or Rotax 447 two stroke
The aircraft was designed and developed in the U.S engines. The engine is fitted to the rear of the pilot pod
in the early 1980s by William Sadler and was a quantum and drives a pusher prop.
leap forward in its design concepts. By the late 1980s, Sadler was offering a militarised
Even today, the aircraft stands out in any crowd with its version of the design, known as the Piranha. This was
uncharacteristic layout and construction. It is an all-metal, equipped with an enclosed cockpit, a bullet-resistant fu-
mid-wing cantilever monoplane with a pilot pod and twin selage pod made of Kevlar, machine gun mounts in the
booms, joined by a common horizontal stabiliser. wing roots and a hard-point under each wing for dispos-
It has a tricycle undercarriage, with trailing wheels and able stores.
the wings fold to enable ground transportation in a pur- Power was provided by a converted VW engine, but a
Ray
Tolhurst
with a
Vampire
SV3
19 / SPORT PILOTA I RC RAFT FEATU RE Vampire SV2 - overseas model is similar to the SV3 model It gets back to what ultralight aviation is all about The popular Vampire aircraft are now back in limited production
A I R C RAFT FEATU RE
WEDGETAIL VAMPIRE SV3 converted Chevrolet V8 automotive engine sort of pilot.
Single seat, enclosed cockpit was eventually fitted. The Piranha was intend- “The Vampire is an aircraft for the enthu-
Steerable nose wheel ed as a ground attack or counter-insurgency siast. We do not try and convince people oth-
Toe brakes on main wheels aircraft. erwise.
ENGINE 60hp HKS four stroke There was even a UAV model made, but it “It is an aircraft you could keep at home in
LENGTH 5.33m required a pilot to be on board for take-offs the garage or carport, much like a boat and
WINGSPAN 8.53m and landings, which really defeats the pur- then tow it to the airport on its custom-made
HEIGHT 1.42m pose of calling it a UAV in the first place. trailer when you want to go flying.
WING AREA 10.8 m² A number of Australian manufacturers “It only takes about 10 minutes to fold the
LOADING +6g -4g have obtained the rights to the aircraft over wings out and this can be easily done by one
EMPTY WEIGHT 114kgs the years, but up to this point success has person,” he said.
MTOW 350kgs been a relative term. There is no doubt the Vampire SV3 is an
FUEL CAPACITY 40Ltr (mogas) Enter Ray Tolhurst, owner of Wedgetail ultralight. Its empty weight is only 114kgs and
FUEL CONSUMPTION 13l/h Aircraft. The company itself was only estab- the MTOW is 350kgs.
MAX SPEED 100kts lished in 2016, but Ray has a long associa- Its fuel capacity is 40 litres, giving it an
CRUISE SPEED 85kts tion with the aircraft industry. endurance of three hours at a cruise speed
STALL CLEAN 38kts He began his career in the 1970s as a of 85kts – not really an ideal cross-country
STALL FULL FLAP 34kts trainee aeronautical engineer for Hawker De machine unless you happen to enjoy landing
Havilland. Then he moved to Southern Sail- at regular intervals along the way to your des-
planes in the UK. It was there he gained his tination.
experience in the black art of fibreglassing. But then the Vampire is not intended as a
He returned to Australia in 1979 where cross country cruiser. It is designed and built
he set up his own company in his hangar at for the pure enjoyment of flight.
Camden Airport and he went to work building Stall speed clean is 38kts and, with flap,
gliders and ultralights. this reduces to 34kts. Rotation speed is
He was one of the pioneers of the ultra- 45kts with a rate of climb of 800ft/min.
light revolution in Australia. He built the leg- “The Vampire SV3 is type accepted under
endary Grasshopper and later designed and the exacting standards of CAA 95-25 here in
built the Stingray, the world’s first all-fibre- Australia,” Ray said.
glass cantilever winged ultralight. “It is a well-made all-metal aircraft which
Since those early days, Ray has focussed gets back to what ultralight aviation is all
primarily on composite materials and special- about.
ising in commercial aircraft repairs. “Although it has comprehensive instru-
His many clients include Careflight, Total mentation, you won’t find a glass cockpit or
Aerospace and Australian Aerospace. He is any other fancy electronic gear,” he said with
the certified Australian repairer for Grumbal a wry grin.
Helicopters. For fun, he holds a glider licence “We’ll leave all of that stuff for the Sierra
and Sincehe has held a RAAus Instructor rat- and Cougar.”
ing. Ray had a Vampire, which was awaiting
In forming Wedgetail Aircraft, Ray has delivery to its new owner, at the AirVenture
now taken over the manufacturing of three Australia event at Narromine and it drew a
of Australia’s well-known recreational and GA lot of attention and admiring looks, which is
brands – the Morgan Sierra and Cougar and pretty impressive for a design which is now
the Sadler Vampire. nearly 30 years-old.
Ray says a two seat LSA version of the “AirVenture was good from an exposure
Sierra, to be known as the Wedgetail Sierra point of view and I did get two customers who
200, will be available next year (the Cougar expressed an interest.
200 will not be available as LSA, due to its “But as in most things, it is often a long
four seat layout). The Vampire is already on road between being keen to buy and actually
the flight line. making the commitment. We will see what
The Wedgetail Vampire SV3 has under- happens.”
gone a number of changes from the previous Ray made no mention of any plans to re-
SV2 model, the most noticeable of which is introduce the Piranha military version, but it
the 60hp HKS four stroke engine. just may have a place at some airports. You
Ray said he did consider other engine know the ones. Where the circuit is really busy
types, but the HKS was the best choice. and other aircraft are annoying you. I have a
“It runs extremely smoothly and produces feeling the RAAus Tech department might
the horespower we need, at the economy we have a few concerns about registering one
want,” Ray said. in our category, to say nothing of what CASA
“Going to a four stroke removes the prob- would think of the idea of an armed ultralight.
lems and idiosyncrasies and pilot mistrust of Still you can only dream.
two stroke engines.
“In saying that, I don’t mean modern two ED / I have asked a highly experienced ultra-
stroke engines aren’t suitable or reliable. But light pilot to put the Vampire through its paces
there is a world-wide trend away from those in the coming weeks. Look for that flight review
type of engines.” in an upcoming edition of Sport Pilot in a new
Ray says the Vampire is for a particular section we’ll be calling ‘Fly my plane’.
21 / SPORT PILOTPowerlines can pose a safety risk for recreational and general aviation pilots. Stay aware and stay alive. The Essential Energy Public Safety team offers: • safety awareness sessions for low altitude flying • overhead maps showing general network locations • advice and installation of powerline safety markers. For further information visit: essentialenergy.com.au/overhead or call 13 23 91 Like us or follow us for information during power outages.
R EAD ER STORY
A great place to
learn to fly
BY GREG O’SHANNES SY
I
HAVE heard stories that some flight schools “The school is batic joy flights and flight schools, the Australian Aer-
more like an old
are more about the money than about the fly- ial Patrol and a range of tourism-related operations.
ing. I hope this is the exception, rather than Once a year it is home to Wings Over Illawarra, one
flying club”
the rule. of the best air shows in the country.
I am very fortunate to live in Wollongong, not just The scenery is spectacular; the beaches are
because it is close to the beach and close to the bush, among the best in the world and have been described
but it is also close to one of the best training airfields as a string of pearls along the coastline. From the air, so
possible, YWOL or Wollongong Regional Airport. much of the amazing vista is accessible even if, like me,
The airport lies between Lake Illawarra and the escarp- you are restricted to 25nm from the airfield (soon to change
ment, a piece of the Great Dividing Range which separates the I hope).
southern coastal fringe from the Southern Highlands. The flight to the Sea Cliff bridge takes you over many of the beautiful
It is a CTAF airfield with light to moderate traffic, making it ideal for learn- beaches and along the escarpment as it comes closer to the coast and
ing to fly, without the added distractions of a CTA but with enough traffic finally kisses it at Bald Hill. I have seen many whales on this trip and it is
to make learning how to maintain separation interesting. I have been in the favourite when I take friends and family for a fly.
the circuit totally on my own and I have been there with three others in the Great scenery and a great airfield are not the only ingredients in a suc-
circuit, one taxying and at least one other inbound. cessful, and enjoyable, flight learning experience. You need to have expe-
The cross strip, 08/26 is 930m long, giving me an option when the rienced instructors, who understand the difference between just knowing
winds turn westerly. their stuff and being able to get others to understand it as well. It builds
The main strip 16/34 is 1.8km, long enough to land a 747. In 2015, confidence and competence, keeping the dream of flying alive. This is what
Qantas’ City of Canberra landed here, with no passengers and next to no I found in my instructors at Fly Illawarra, Bruce Robbins and Ned McIntosh.
fuel on board. It was on its final flight to become an exhibit of the Historical The school is more like an old flying club than a money oriented business.
Aviation Restoration Society. I’m not sure what my initial expectations were, but my experience has
The HARS museum on the field is a must see. The field also has aero- been nothing short of fantastic. What a great place to learn to fly.
23 / SPORT PILOTYou can also read
