SportPilot 91 March 2019

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

CONTENTS

20 50

TABLE OF CONTENTS REGULARS 06 08 10 18 52 66

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

COLUMNS

12

16 28 32 62

From the Ops Team Legal Eagle Safety Milestones

FEATURES 12 20 24 34 38 41 50

44

Bobby and the Jets Tecnam P92 Taildragger Uniting Flyers across the Globe Homebuilt Hornet Learning to Dance How to Tame a Taildragger Just ask Janna

TRAVEL 44 3 / SPORT PILOT

The Barefoot Pilot

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

3

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 ACN 070 931 645

CEO

Michael Linke ceo@raa.asn.au CORPORATE SERVICES EXECUTIVE Maxine Milera admin@raa.asn.au HEAD OF FLIGHT OPERATIONS Jill Bailey ops@raa.asn.au 0400 280 087 INNOVATION & IMPROVEMENT EXECUTIVE Lea Vesic Lea.vesic@raa.asn.au 0418 445 652 HEAD OF AIRWORTHINESS & MAINTENANCE Jared Smith Jared.smith@raa.asn.au 0418 125 393 AVIATION DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Neil Schaefer Neil.schaefer@raa.asn.au 0428 282 870

AIRCRAFT AND MAINTENANCE Enquires: tech@raa.asn.au PILOT AND MEMBERSHIP Inquiries: members@raa.asn.au DIRECTORS Michael Monck (Chairman) 0419 244 794 Michael.Monck@raa.asn.au

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Alan Middleton 0407 356 948 alan.middleton@raa.asn.au

CONTRIBUTE

• Let us know about your event • Send in your story Email: editor@sportpilot.net.au Call: 0419 509 548 PO Box 60, Sebastapol 3351

Trevor Bange 0429 378 370 Trevor.Bange@raa.asn.au Eugene Reid 0428 824 700 Eugene.Reid@raa.asn.au

ADVERTISE

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Email: editor@sportpilot.net.au Download our media kit www.sportpilot.net.au

Rod Birrell 0422 446 622 Rod.Birrell@raa.asn.au Luke Bayly 0421 463 967 Luke.bayly@raa.asn.au

CONTACT RAA us TO SUBSCRIBE

Call: (02) 6280 4700 Web: www.raa.asn.au

UPDATE YOUR DETAILS to RAAus

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FREE GIVEAWAY INSIDE

Sport Pilot is published by M&M Aviation Media 12 times a year on behalf of Recreational Aviation Australia

EDITOR Mark Smith editor@sportpilot.net.au

UST 2018

THE MAGIC

MBER 2018

ISSUE 8 @SEPTE

ISSUE 6 ©JULY

ENQUIRIES General Enquires: admin@raa.asn.au

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FREE GIVEAWAY INSIDE

THE LIGHTBUSTER – WEIGHT RV-9A

INTERESTIN

FEET NOT G ERCOUPE REQUIRED TIGER TR

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THE EVOL CONTINUEUTION S

TRALIA ACROSS AUS

GYRO STYLE

ART DIRECTOR Melinda Vassallo

CATEGORY

2018

MAGNUS

AND THE HORNET ILT THE HOMEBU

DEPUTY EDITOR Michelle Smith

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AIRVENTURE

RT ‘BEBE’

JIM’S NIEUPO

A, BIG STORY

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FROM RAAUS

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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 M&M Aviation Media 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.

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

5

COLUMN

FROM THE CHAIR: MICHAEL MONCK

WHAT IS THE CORRECT WEIGHT? I

might alienate some people by saying this but I am a country music fan. I’m not hard core country but I grew up in a relatively small town and I appreciate a little bluegrass from time to time! I was listening to some country the other day and I heard the lyrics “If you can’t lose the weight then you’re just too fat, but if you lose too much then you’re on crack” and it basically summed up how it feels to chair the board some times.

A while back RAAus was criticised on social media for being an organisation that avoids landing fees. For the record, I don’t condone it and think that as responsible aviators we should be paying these fees and if we don’t like the fee then we don’t use that airport. It’s the same logic that we have when we choose to park on a public road and put money in the meter - if we don’t like the fee then we choose an alternative.

That aside, apparently RAAus is the driving force behind the prior permission required conditions being imposed on many airports around the country because we withhold registration information. On social media we were lambasted and it was said that “the growing list of Australian airports that require PPR is a direct consequence of RAAus registered aircraft not contributing to airport user fees”.

We haven’t shied away from the fact that we have been working with the Australian Airports Association (AAA) to develop a cost-effective way for airports obtain the data they require to allow us to be responsible aviators. When this became known to some, we faced criticism yet again. I didn’t expect anything less to be honest but some of this criticism is quite strange.

The author of the comment above made it clear that they think we are causing significant issues in the industry and yet when they became aware of our proposal to work with the AAA they accused us of working “with the AAA to introduce fees and charges

6

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

on RAAus members”. This was exactly why we were being attacked in the first place, because we weren’t paying fees! There are countless other examples where we do something only to face criticism when it is consistent with what the industry has been asking for. Indeed, in some instances we hear rumours that we did something completely opposite to what actually happened so it appears that it doesn’t even matter what we do, we will get scolded.

As a result of this I’m not sure if we are too fat or we are on crack and it seems that there’s no pleasing some people. So, with this in mind, this year we need to ignore these self-contradicting comments and not allow ourselves to be distracted by the noise.

RAAus has come a long way in the past five years because we have maintained focus. We often speak about our relationships with key decision makers and influencers and how it has helped us progress our member-based organisation, but let’s take a closer look at our internal performance for a few moments.

In the five years from 2008 through 2012 our salary bill skyrocketed from $508,000 to a little under $1.1m. It more than doubled in five years. If we repeated that in the five years from 2013 through 2018 we would be seeing salary bills of more than $2.2m today.

You may recall the aircraft groundings that occurred some years ago, the same event that prompted me to get more directly involved in the activities of RAAus. At the end of the first financial year that I was on the board (I joined in late 2013) we had 1600 fewer members than our peak in 2011, the year of the grounding. Today we are averaging growth of around 1 – 2 per cent per annum. We are still not back to that peak in 2011 but we are making steady progress.

Our asset base is often looked at by members as a measure of health. While this is not the only measure that should be used it does tell a story. Our total assets grew from about $1.7m in 2008 to $2.4m at the end of the 2013/14 financial year, the same year I came on to the board. This has since declined by $189,000 which on the surface is not a great result.

When we consider for a moment the changes and investments that have been made over that time, the story looks a little better. We made an investment of around $300,000 in technology (our website, payment gateways, digital record systems, etc) which was simply a movement on the balance sheet from a cash asset to an IT asset. This in itself makes no difference but over time we have depreciated this asset and so the value on the balance sheet has fallen.

Other assets have also been depreciated over this period as well and so the overall position of the company has declined. In the background, however, what has happened is the decline in wage growth. In other words, although we have seen a decline in the company asset base in this period, without the changes made in recent years the asset base would be significantly lower.

Imagine spending $1m more in salaries each and every year and what that would do to our position.

In any case, our most recent years have seen this downward trend in assets reversed. In the 2016/17 year we finished up with total assets of a little under $2m. In the following year we had $2.2m, a modest increase. Our profit/loss position has also seen a turnaround. In my first year the loss was more than a quarter of a million dollars, our most recent year saw a small surplus of $190,000 helping to rebuild the afore-

mentioned asset base and return us to the position of years gone by.

This hasn’t happened by accident, rather it has been a carefully developed and executed strategy that took time. It has taken considerable effort and I would love to take credit for it but it has more to do with those people who manage your organisation on a day to day basis than it does with me. These people dedicate their days and weekends (and at times their evenings too) to driving better results for RAAus. They work tirelessly to deliver what is expected of RAAus.

Despite the stones that are thrown and the abuse that gets levelled at RAAus online they remain focussed on the task at hand – looking after you, our members, and your organisation.

Within our management team and especially on the board we have to remember that getting distracted will cause us to falter. Allowing others to drive our agenda and steer us in a direction that is not healthy for our members is not the right result. It will harm us and our ability to positively contribute to the broader aviation sector in

Australia. We need to remain focussed and not get distracted.

It is this focus and dedication that drives RAAus in the right direction. The song that I was listening to ends with the words “follow your arrow wherever it points”. As long as we manage to keep these people in our organisation, stay focussed on our objectives and not get distracted by the noise, our arrow will continue to point in the right direction.

Michael Monck

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EVENTS 2019 NEW SOUTH WALES TUMUT. SUNDAY 21ST APRIL Monthly BBQ Breakfast/Brunch from 8am www.tumutaeroclub.org.au.

DENILIQUIN. FRIDAY 22ND TO SUNDAY 24TH MARCH The Deniliquin Aero Club is hosting a fly-in weekend, recognising the importance of the No. 7 Service Flying Training School to Deniliquin during WWII. On Friday, the club will host a barbecue from 6.30pm.

An air display will be held on Saturday. Deniliquinaeroclub.com PORT MACQUARIE. SATURDAY 30TH MARCH Hastings District Flying Club will host a Fly and Spy observation trial at Port Macquarie airfield. Rod Davison 0419 632 477 CESSNOCK. SATURDAY 6TH APRIL See Australia’s finest solo and formation aerobatic displays and relive the past with spectacular displays of classic warbird and amazing vintage aircraft of yesteryear. www.huntervalleyairshow.com.au

SOUTH AUSTRALIA WUDINNA SATURDAY 13TH TO SUNDAY 14TH APRIL Eyre Peninsula Fly-In and Family Weekend. Dinner and activity weekend throughout Wudinna. Accommodation and camping available. Craig Midgley 08 8680 2002

QUEENSLAND MURGON. SATURDAY 13TH APRIL The Burnett Flyers will hold their bi-monthly breakfast fly-in at Angelfield. For $15 you get a hearty country breakfast with fresh coffee and tea, served in a country atmosphere at the airfield’s rustic ops centre. www.burnettflyers.org

VICTORIA SHEPPARTON. SATURDAY 30TH MARCH. Eugene 60th Anniversary Hangar Bash Dinner and Saturday all you can eat luncheon. Lunch $10; hangar bash dinner $35 plus drinks. Lucy 0435 885 212 KYNETON. SATURDAY 6TH APRIL. The Kyneton gourmet hot dog brunch returns for another month. Enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and interesting aeroplanes that are a part of the culture of this lovely country airfield.

SHEPPARTON. SUNDAY 7TH APRIL The Great Shepparton pancake breakfast 8am to 11am.

TYABB SUNDAY 14TH APRIL The Peninsula Aero Club is holding the first bi-annual Australian STOL Championship. Pilots will have their skills pushed to the limit through a day of Short Take-Off and Landing competitions. www.australianstolchampionships.com.au ECHUCA. SUNDAY 20TH APRIL Sunday 20th April. The famous Echuca Aeroclub roast lunch. Two roast meats, roast pumpkin and potatoes, honeyed carrots, corn, peas, gravy, bread and butter come first then a wonderful selection of homemade desserts prepared by club members. All this for only $20 a head, kids eat free if accompanied by an adult. www.echucaaeroclub.com.au WAHRING. SATURDAY 27TH APRIL. The Wahring frequent flyers annual bonfire night. Fly in and camp.

There will be barbecue facilities for a BYO dinner or buy a spit roast roll for $7.

Marty 0418 627 846

IS YOUR CLUB HOLDING AN EVENT? Send the details to: editor@sportpilot.net.au

8

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | February March 2019 2019

COLUMN

FROM THE CEO: MICHAEL LINKE

RELEARNING OUR RHYTHM I

’m a city kid, so my choice of music differs from our Chair. Inner Sydney pubs of the 1980s forged my taste. It’s the rhythm and pulse that moves me most.

And it is rhythm and pulse that drives me at work as well. I’m sure it’s the same for most of our members as you fly. You get to know the sound, rhythm and pulse, of your aircraft. You know it is running smoothly and you know when you need to pull the cowl off and take a look.

And this is how RAAus is run. We focus on us and listen to our business, our members and from time to time we take the cowl off and take a look. I did just that over the Christmas/New Year break. I normally park myself in front of the cricket, but the rhythm and pulse at the centre of the MCG was certainly a bit off this year, so I focused elsewhere for a few days.

I gave RAAus a 10 year overhaul. In doing that I looked back over 10 years and examined the rhythm and pulse.

As we grew from 2008 to 2012, as a result of the LSA standard being introduced, things went quite smoothly for us.

Revenues grew as did members. We grew from 9000 members in 2008 to 10,000 in 2012. Up 10%. But during that time our salaries doubled, the cost of insurance increased 35% and Sport Pilot magazine costs topped $400,000 annually. We were only focused on one thing, airspeed, and we weren’t watching our temperature and fuel gauges. In essence we got out of step with our rhythm.

CASA audited us and stopped us registering new and reregistering existing aircraft and we were carrying with us a huge cost burden as member numbers started to decline. This period of decline lasted four years, from 2012 to 2016. We had to relearn our rhythm, almost like a rock band does when it decides to tour. The band will spend months and months rehearsing, fine tuning its rhythm and pulse.

That’s what RAAus has done, we’ve relearned our rhythm and pulse and we stick to it. We put in place a number of strategies in 2016 – 2018, all designed to get our rhythm back. We haven’t been distracted by outside influences, perhaps the biggest

risk to rhythm and pulse. We stayed true to what RAAus is about.

Our 2019 – 2023 Strategic Plan is like the sheet music we will read from for the next five years. It lays out our rhythm and pulse and describes the things we want to do to ensure you, our member, has the best experience you can.

The Strategic Plan firstly focuses on engagement and training. RAAus will be out and about around the country working with our key stakeholders, instructors and maintainers, to ensure you have the tools to work with your key stakeholders, our members at large.

Secondly, the Strategic Plan has a focus on innovation and growth. For RAAus to continue to grow we both need to meet the needs of our existing 10,000 members, but we also need to innovate to ensure sustained growth as we meet the needs of the next generation of members. From our digital ecosystem with expanded magazine offerings, to phone based apps, together with the systems that our traditional aviators prefer, we will have something for all of our members. We then will need to look to the skies to see what other innovative ideas are out there. How will drones play a role in RAAus’ future? What about sky-based Uber transport? Electric aircraft? We are on the cusp of a wave of next generation technologies and RAAus is positioning itself to be a major player in this space.

Combining the four strategies will ensure our rhythm and pulse remains in step with you, our member and the broader aviation community.

And to wrap up, my 10 year study revealed the following key three metrics about RAAus, clearly showing, we are in tune…

• RAAus has experienced 13 quarters of membership growth • RAAus has experienced six quarters of financial surpluses • RAAus has experienced 21 quarters of declining fatal and serious accidents Our dials are certainly in the green.

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RAAUS HAS INSTAGRAM You can email your photos to media@raa.asn.au for inclusion on our Instagram and Facebook pages.

Be sure to include a caption and hashtag #raaus or some information about your photo, and your name or Instagram handle.

Michael Linke AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

9

COLUMN

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

BILL BENDALL HAS HIS SAY ABOUT LANDING FEES.

T

he comment by the CEO believing in user pays when referring to landing fees is very disappointing for several reasons. We as members pay an annual membership fee to be part of the organisation that we operate under and is there to support us, but we also expect to have some protection when paying that fee. We also pay an annual registration fee for each aircraft whereas GA aircraft do not pay either of these.

I do not have an issue with paying landing fees at a private strip as it requires a lot of time to maintain, fuel for the tractor and some building maintenance or whatever so often contribute more than is asked. I do have a real issue with paying landing fees at large, council or private entity run airfields where the wage bill is astronomical and it is patrolled by ARO’s, most of which have no aeronautical experience. My own regional airfield has a wage bill exceeding $600k so why should we be asked to contribute to that?

The landing fee is collected by Avdata that take their substantial portion and then pass it onto the airfield operator where it eventually filters out to the aircraft owner and the return usually costs more than if no fee was charged. It is a case of charging a fee for the sake of charging a fee and it benefits no one except Avdata. I am not advocating for RAAus to not pay landing fees but if we are paying annual fees to RAAus then we should have the right to privacy in our membership, not have our registration and address details passed to whoever asks for it.

GEOFF RAEBEL EXPRESSES HIS OPINION ABOUT THE REPORTING OF A FORCED LANDING INVOLVING A TIGER MOTH IN NSW.

I

t annoys me when reporters blow abnormal events, well handled, into miracles. That lady who safely landed a Tiger Moth on a beach had one or two old instructors sitting on her shoulder reminding her of all she had been taught. "Airspeed, Mayday call, which way is the wind blowing, can I make the airfield, No, can I land in the wet firm sand, are there people in the way. Fuel off switches off. Allow for the crosswind, the side slope, hold the tail down to stop nose-over. Relax.

We all have that instructor sitting on our shoulder each time we fly. On crosswind turn: "this is the turn that will kill you, you're low and slow - reduce your angle of bank," John Hoore would remind me. Doing a cross-country in a 503 Lightwing: "the engine will fail”.

Bobby Conrow (a Tiger pilot) reminded me: “why don't we head over toward the highway where there is some clear ground, if it does." The wisdom of George Kierle, another Tiger pilot and aerobatic instructor: "see that wrecked Beagle (over by Dent's hangar at Camden), broken battery wire, couldn't restart. If that pilot had known how to air-start, he wouldn't have put it down in a corn field.

You'll have to be able to air-start before I sign you off".

There are no miracles when we do as we have been taught. All those instructors sit on our shoulder each time we fly. Remember, what were you taught to do when this happens?

From the CEO: Thanks Bill for your letter. RAAus shares your view regarding council run airfields, we don’t believe they should charge anyone landing fees.

We’ve shared our views with the AAA in this regard.

With regard to your comments about Avdata and sharing information. RAAus won’t be sharing member’s details with “anyone”. The system we are exploring will require secure logins and registration, which will be monitored by RAAus.

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

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

IAN SHAUGHNESSY WRITES TO EXPLAIN TO ROBERT MATHEWS AND OTHERS TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THE WAY WE (AUF/RAAUS) OPERATED ALONGSIDE THE OTHER AVIATION ORIENTATED ORGANISATIONS IN THE PAST. Ian Shaughnessy was the South Australian representative and treasurer for a period of nine years.

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. When I was on the Board we had a very good relationship with AOPA especially when Bill Hamilton was their president. They attended all the fly-ins at Narromine and their presence was always appreciated. Tim Blatch represented AOPA as their CEO and ran the information booth along with other members of their organisation. I see no problem in the RAAus attempting to rekindling the camaraderie that was there before. I was unaware that it had broken down. At that time we were an incorporated body and all states were represented, not a limited company as we are now with no designated state members of the Board.

Sports Aircraft Association of Australia. Again in the early days there was a certain amount of suspicion between the two organisations in reference to the building of some of the aircraft. The AUF were allowed to build aircraft under ANO 95-10. Single seat, one engine. When two-seat training was allowed under ANO 101. 55 there was such aircraft as the two-seat Thruster the Drifter. If you wished to build a Soneri, or another two seat aircraft whether built from kit or plans it was built under ANO 101 part 128. These aircraft had to be inspected during build, the only qualified people at that time were the aircraft inspectors from the SAAA or a LAME. To have your aircraft inspected you had to be a member of the SAAA. After the final inspection the aircraft could be registered under GA as a homebuilt or with the AUF. The SAAA at one stage held fly-ins at Mangalore which were very successful and well attended by the AUF registered aircraft with members flying one year from Watts Bridge, QLD, to attend.

Robert, at one stage we all worked together. I admit there was the odd argument among the different associations. In an attempt to stop all this, the Australian Sport Aviation Confederation came on the scene and was a great help. This confederation has, to my belief, now closed.

I hope this might help explain some of the past. We can only improve and maybe one day we can get back to the good times we had at AUF (RAAus)fly-ins which were always well attended, especially the ones at Narromine. They cost members nothing to attend and the organisation nothing. Any monies made were set aside for the next one or went to the council to spray the cats eyes, or as we call them three corner jacks.

Safe Flying.

Ian Shaughnessy Member 002573

From the CEO: Thanks Ian for the interesting look back.

RAAus, today, has a strong belief in collaboration and working with all aviation related bodies. Over the ages all organisations have had varied times when they have worked together or been at odds with each other. Take a look at PPRUNE from August 2004, yes 2004, and you will see AOPA were at odds with RAAus. I don’t think looking back is the solution. We all need to look ahead. What can the leaders of aviation achieve tomorrow? I for one know that RAAus has an expansive agenda focused on innovation, growth and engagement.

We have a number of strong partnerships from government to industry and welcome discussions with anyone to help continue to grow aviation.

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

11

BOBBY AND THE JETS!

Bob Carlton is an airshow performer who uses small jet engines to put on a big display. Mark Smith met him.

12

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

FEATURE

A

irshow fans tend to come to airshows to watch jets – the bigger and noisier, the better.

This makes it very interesting to stand at the back of the crowd line and watch the punters’ faces as they hear a jet taking off yet can’t see it because of the people in front of them. Noisy jets are usually big enough to allow those 10 back from the fence to see at least the top of the fuselage.

It’s only when Bob Carlton’s SubSonex JSX-2 microjet actually lifts off that the crowd can then see what’s been making all the noise because, while the sound is almost the same as its bigger military cousins, it’s diminutive size shows great aeroplanes can come in very small packages.

A retired rocket scientist, Bob began researching small jet engines about 12 years ago as a way of launching his Salto sailplane at airshows.

“I got tired of hiring tow planes for my glider and I found some small jet engines designed for model aircraft use so I put two on my glider,” he says as he sits next to the tiny SubSonex at the Avalon Airshow.

“Then I discovered the PBS TJ-100 engine which was so much better than the model aircraft engines I’d been using. It was a game changer. It starts every time and it’s powerful.”

The engine Bob uses was originally designed for use in auxiliary power units on Russian jets. A decline in demand for APUs as the Russian economy stagnated saw the company begin to develop the engine used in the Safire APU as a stand alone powerplant for small aircraft.

“This engine isn’t just an APU engine with the wheels taken off. The company used the experience they had building APU engines to begin the development of this engine. It was developed knowing a market would emerge for the engine,” Bob says.

The engine weighs 20kg and puts out 113kg of thrust.

“I’ve flown it over 300 miles cross country. At cruise altitude, between 15,000ft and 17,000 feet, we are burning around 60lph at 200kts.”

Bob started flying aerobatics with hang gliders at 19 and progressed onto gliders. In 1993 he started performing at airshows after watching another glider aerobatics legend perform.

“I saw Manfred Radius perform in Albuquerque with his glider and I thought

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

13

‘wow somebody can actually get paid to fly aerobatics in a glider’.

“That got me started down this road and a few years later, in 1993, I bought my Salto glider. I also bought my own towplane, a Steen Skybolt biplane, and I built a trailer to carry that and my glider. That worked but its two aircraft and two pilots

14

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

with a lot more logistics. Then the little jets came along so I put the two model aeroplane jets on and after that the PBS on my Salto.” It was through Bob’s work fitting the PBS jet to his sailplane that Sonex came into the picture.

“Sonex were using another engine that

never worked and after several years they hadn’t got all the parts for it so I talked them into working with PBS and that’s how I ended up doing all the test flying on the program,” he says.

It’s obvious the tiny jet is based on the original Sonex design that came from the pen of John Monnett, with all of the construction techniques similar to the more common propeller driven home-builts the company is famous for.

“It does have the same aerofoil as the propeller aeroplanes, which is not the fastest aerofoil around but it’s the one that is most forgiving at low speeds because getting an extra 20kts doesn’t help if the first three builders kill themselves on landing. So, unlike some other small jets that have a pretty bad reputation for stall spin accidents, this is a very forgiving aeroplane.”

With so much experience on the tiny jet, Bob’s airshow act is a graceful display comprising low level passes, loops and rolls flown with ease, demonstrating the power

Photos: Mark Smith

Bob shows how ground handling is easy.

FLYING THE SUBSONEX

BY BOB CARLTON

Bob taxis in after another airshow.

the TH-100 generates. Bob says flying the SubSonex is well within the capabilities of the average pilot.

“You are very low to the ground,” he says as he talks about what’s involved in flying the JS-2.

“As the power comes up you can feel the nose gear move down due to the high mounting point of the engine. There is also a distinctive note from the engine at full power.

“At 90mph I ease back on the side stick and as soon as I have a positive rate of climb I have to get the gear up before the 130mph gear extension speed is reached. When the gear is stowed the speed increases to 150mph and at sea level I’m seeing just over 2000fpm climb. Full power is limited to five minutes. Maximum continuous power is 92% rpm, which is around 70% power, so in level flight after reaching a safe turn back height of around 3000ft this is what I pull the throttle back to, and then maintain 200mph.

“It’s very light in all three axis.”

In essence, flying a small jet is like driving a car that only has fifth gear. Don’t expect jackrabbit starts! However, unlike a propeller, which loses thrust with increasing airspeed, the jet just continues to push. Its thrust even increases slightly with speed.

The takeoff roll begins at a stately pace but increases steadily to a rotation speed of 80mph, at which time you become fully aware of the diminutive four-inch main wheels and lack of spring suspension. A slight pull on the side stick and you’re airborne.

With no pounding pistons, pulsing prop, or propeller slipstream, the instant transformation from an overspeeding wagon to intense smooth is nothing short of inspirational. The acceleration continues, quickly pushing the little craft to its best climb speed of 140mph. A little nose up and she’s rocketing skyward at nearly 2000fpm. Raising the nose gear further enhances the silky smooth ride.

Once airborne, there are no surprises. With the SubSonex’s light weight, ample control surfaces and short wings, handling is understandably sporty, but not twitchy. With the pilot’s full-forward position and no engine or propeller up front, visibility through the bubble canopy is superb. With a good pair of noise-cancelling headsets, the experience is a bit glider-like, except for the speed and climb rate.

The 22-plus gallon/hour fuel burn tapers off to 18 at 10,000ft and 14 at 17,500ft.

Nosing over slightly settles the SubSonex into a cruise speed of 190mph true.

When it’s time to come down, reducing power to 70 percent rpm while maintaining 140mph provides an average descent of about 800fpm.

Landing is straightforward as long as you remember that energy corrections don’t happen instantly. Setting up a slightly higher than normal pattern, and remembering the fifth-gear-only sensation at the beginning of the takeoff roll, a long, stable final approach is in order. With flaps at 30 degrees, 90mph provides a comfortable margin above stall and crisp control feedback. Some glide-angle adjustment is available by manually increasing flaps, which increases drag a bit, and there’s no settling when returned to the 30-degree detent.

Because of the time required to add energy, and a slight nose-down tendency when adding full power at low airspeed, a decision to go around should be made early. Because of the flat approach angle and the wing’s proximity to the ground, only a slight flare is required—just be careful not to flare too high if you’re used to a taller airplane. Once the mains touch down, the nosewheel lowers quickly and she’s firmly planted. Steering requires only a light touch of the rudder pedals. The disc brakes bring her to a stop in less than 1000ft.

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

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COLUMN

FROM THE OPS TEAM GETTING THE WORDS RIGHT

R

AAus is often at work behind the scenes to make small but important changes in a variety of areas. One such area relates to the format of broadcasts at airports under Class G and Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) procedures.

RAAus canvassed a section of our operational member base and industry then provided information to CASA through the Regional Airspace and Procedures Committee (RAPAC) for minor changes to the general broadcast format. These proposed changes are intended to provide clearer VHF communications and reduced confusion and congestion on CTAF and general broadcast frequencies. The proposal was tabled in late 2017 and approved by RAPAC for inclusion in upcoming changes relating to MULTICOM use.

SOME HISTORY In 2004 a new set of standards and procedures were developed for operations at non-towered aerodromes as part of the National Airspace System (NAS) review. These changes were scheduled to become effective on November 24 2005. This initial rollout was later repealed and NAS 2C was developed as part of a broader airspace review. The Airspace Act 2007, Airspace Regulations 2007 and Australian Airspace Policy Statement 2007 were revised to give CASA sole management of the regulation of all Australian-administered airspace. Ultimately this resulted in the changes we have today. As part of this implementation, reference information and educational material was published through AIP and CAAPs regarding the prescribed standard broadcast format. This was a significant change and removed the generic radio broadcast phraseology which was underpinned in broadcast regulations. Effectively this changed the wording from the well-known “All stations” call to the more specific format we have today. An extract from AIP ENR 1.1 with the current wording is provided below; The standard broadcast format is; a. {Location} Traffic b. {Aircraft type}

• Mitigating against delays in RF carrier break delay in radio transmissions • Compensating for poor transmission activation techniques

by RF operators • Allowing an alert awareness delay to enhance receipt of the important station ID. • Increasing relevance of situation awareness for “alerted see and avoid” • Reducing two- way VHF radio interaction to clarify location detail.

RAAus further proposed that the pilot’s intentions are a different element of the broadcast to the position and level so this should be a separate item in CAR 166D. The revised format would then read as follows: 6.1.14 The standard broadcast format is; a. Traffic {Location} b. {Aircraft type} c. {Callsign} d. {Position and level} e. {intentions} f. {Location} The proposal will require changes to the CARs, AIPs, VFRG, CAAPs and training and educational material. RAAus suggested that if adopted the changes be timed to be incorporated into revised education material and training programs following the current review of general broadcasts in class G airspace and the outcomes relating to use of MULTICOM. While not apparently a major change, this restructure has the potential to improve clarity of radio calls for all pilots. RAAus will keep members advised of the progress of this proposal through RAPAC.

c. {callsign} d. {Position/intentions} e. {Location} By changing the sequence of introduction of the call from the generic “All stations” to the specific location first, it was deemed at the completion of the call the location only should be repeated for clarity. This is the format that is contained within regulation today.

REFERENCES AIP ENR 1.1 Regulation 166C of CAR Responsibility for broadcasting on VHF radio NPRM 0814 OS

PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE RAAus proposed via a RAPAC discussion paper submitted in 2017 that the format for the introduction of the radio call be changed to Traffic {Location} in element a. only. The benefits of this minor but structurally effective change include the following; • Consistency with previous regulation on the sequence of broadcast introduction.

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

https://www.casa.gov.au/standard-page/ nprm-0814os-radio-broadcasting-pilots-overflying-non-designated-non-controlled NPRM 0814 OS Annex A https://www.casa.gov.au/files/0814osannexapdf

Aeroprakt A32 Vixxen www.foxbat.com.au

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

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

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CHECK THOSE HOSES We’ve been learning of incidences where cooling hoses have been coming loose so we’ve decided to remind everyone about the importance of tight clamps on all hoses.  

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                                                                               

    

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

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19

FEATURE

TECNAM P92 TAILDRAGGER Mark Smith samples a bit of Italian magic in a Tecnam with a wheel up the back.

W

ith the growth in the popularity of bush flying as a distinct past time for recreational aviators it was little wonder that Italian manufacturer Tecnam got on board and converted one of their best selling designs, the P92, into a taildragger.

The original nose-wheel design has gained a huge market in the light sport training sphere based on its rugged design, roomy cockpit and simple maintenance requirements. Throw out the wheel at the front, move the main legs forwards and like a piece of Italian magic an attractive tailwheel aeroplane appears, with all of the same characteristics but with the added benefit of the ability to

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

utilise rougher fields so important to the bush flyers.

But that’s not the Tecnam Taildragger’s only calling. They have found their way into flying schools to teach the dance that is safe tailwheel flying.

The P92 Echo first flew in 1993 in Europe and has become popular for flight training, personal and club ownership and even as a reconnaissance aircraft/trainer for the Cambodian Air Force. So far there have been 12 iterations of the design. The worldwide P92 fleet numbers nearly 2000 aircraft.

Gerard Kitt’s example of the so-called Tecnam Taildragger, dubbed Otis, was displayed at AERO Friedrichshafen in

Germany in 2013 before it made its way to Australia.

“There are only five P92 TD’s worldwide and only two in Australia.

This one was advertised to the dealer network as a demonstrator at a reduced price so Chris Cabot from Wagga Air Centre bought it. He flew it for about 10 hours and it was then sold to an operator at Temora, who then engaged me to sell it for him. I’ll be honest though. I didn’t try too hard because I knew I wanted to buy it myself,” he says.

Gerard has now completed his tailwheel endorsement and is using the TT to get around in support of his various businesses. He says he’s enjoying the

Photos: Mark Smith

The Tecnam Taildragger with a Tecnam Sierra

“It was also great to be back in the training saddle again quite a few years after I got my licence. It’s always good to learn a new skill in aviation.” challenge of wheel at the back flying.

“To be honest I didn’t have much interest in tailwheel flying until I spent some time with Wes Summers in his Cessna 140 and got to try it for myself. We flew up the light aircraft lane past Williamtown and landed at Gloucester, which is a great old fashioned grass runway and did some circuits. I was hooked. It was just really good fun flying.

“It was also great to be back in the training saddle again quite a few years after I got my licence. It’s always good to learn a new skill in aviation.”

Gerard’s aeroplane sits high on its metal sprung undercarriage, thanks in part to slightly larger bush tyres that are becoming a common sight on aeroplanes

with a wheel at the back. It reminded me of a C150/152 tailwheel conversion though the cabin is a bit wider than the Cessna.

It’s all metal and obviously well built.

Once on board the effect of the bigger wheels is to cut the view forward quite a bit, though this isn’t a problem given it’s a quirk of most tailwheel aircraft. A nice feature is the bend in the control sticks which makes it very easy to get your legs in with the seat leaning back at such an angle.

Two glass screens provide the information needed to fly, though this is an option when you order your own. The standard fit is analogue and for an RAAus aeroplane is quite enough for recreational flying. The seats are luxurious leather and

look like they should be in an Italian supercar! Power is a Rotax 912 at 100hp. It is also available with the Lycoming YO233 though this pushes the weight up With the Rotax making a noise and the temp on the way up it was time to taxi.

The tailwheel is non steering so tapping on the toe brakes is needed to keep things straight as we trundled to the runway. I was assured by Gerard that the large rudder becomes effective as soon as full power is applied.

We had the field to ourselves so a quick radio call to seemingly no one and we were lined up. Full song on the Rotax and Gerard was 100% correct about the rudder. There was a little bit of pedalling as I found the sweet spot of just enough AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

21

right, before lifting the tail and pedalling some more. With the two of us and half tanks we were about 30kg below the MTOW of 600kg, yet the TT lifted off in a sprightly fashion after a ground roll of around 150 metres.

Once in the air it was basically exactly the same as a P92 with a wheel at the front, exhibiting the stability and all round nice handling that Tecnams are known for. The trim on the stick seemed to travel at just the right speed, making trim changes very smooth and accurate.

Control sticks always bring out the hidden fighter pilot in us and it was huge fun to throw the aeroplane around, enjoying the crisp handling of what is really a training/touring aircraft.

Straight and level for a minute to check speeds and it was sitting on 102kts indicated at 3000 feet with 5200rpm showing, which translated to 108kts true.

Stalls in the P92 are a non-event, flaps up or down, with around 38kts the stall speed in the landing configuration.

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

However what goes up must come down eventually and so we joined on downwind, slowed to just under 70kts and dropped the first stage of flap using the switch on the centre of the panel.

Then turning onto final the final stage was lowered and we were set up. I let the speed bleed off to about 50kts over the fence and brought the stick back for a three pointer.

The large tyres absorbed the slight drop as the wing gave up flying and with minimal rudder we rolled to a stop. Retracting the flaps I opened the tap again and flew another circuit just because I could. So the question will be asked as to why take a known design with a nosewheel and make it into a taildragger?

Bush flying is becoming a big part of the recreational aviation scene and some manufacturers can see the marketing benefit of offering their designs without the fragile nose wheel, which can be easily damaged on rough strips in the back blocks. Throw in the added attrac-

tion for pilots that tailwheel flying dramatically improves take-off and landing skills by the simple virtue that you have to work your feet to keep it straight.

Then throw in a crosswind and the true meaning of stick and rudder skills becomes apparent.

Gerard has his own opinion about why, as a new convert to taildragging, he finds it so enjoyable. “Flying a tail wheel aircraft is all about utilising another skill set when you are landing. Most pilots, me included, get a kick out of landing, trying to make it as good as you can.

"For me, the most excitement in flying comes in the last 30 seconds as I get closer to the runway; is my speed correct, am I going to have to go around and all the other things that go through your mind. I think it then makes it even more interesting throwing in all the possible permutations involving landing a taildragger.�

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

23

FEATURE

AVIATION – THE PASSION THAT UNITES FLYERS ACROSS THE GLOBE Ben Cavanagh tells a story about how strangers become friends in the world of recreational aviation.

W

hite and blue high-wing approaching Ripon, rock your wings!” This is the radio transmission I had been looking forward to receiving ever since I first heard of the EAA AirVenture fly-in and its famed approach procedure to its home at Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. I knew that someday I just had to at least be there to witness an arrival into Oshkosh, but could it get any better? In short, yes it could!

Thirty minutes prior, my host for this flight, Dan – a member of the EAA 431 ‘Cheeseland’ chapter located at Brodhead Airport in Wisconsin’s mid-west - had passed me a printed copy of the NOTAMs and told me with a grin that I could fly his beautiful 1940 Fairchild 24R on the VFR arrival back into Oshkosh if I wanted to. What other answer was there?

Two days earlier, while enjoying some refreshments and watching the ‘heavy metal military’ arrivals in the warm early evening following the flying displays, Dan approached our table to sample some cheerful Aussie culture.

During the ensuing (heavily aviation oriented) conversation, Dan spoke at length about his vintage Fairchild. Powered by a 200HP inverted six-cylinder Ranger engine, the Fairchild has been in Dan’s family for 38 years and received a full restoration in 2011

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

following a 20 year stay in a barn. The white with blue highlights, fabric-covered exterior together with varnished solid timber interior panels gave the true feeling of flying into yesteryear.

During the conversation Dan mentioned that he had to fly home for a short notice meeting and asked if I would like to tag along and see more of the countryside.

The next morning I made my way past the seemingly endless displays to the waking vintage aircraft camping area, where the first order of business was breakfast among the sound of flat-4s, radials and V12s, bearing in mind it was only 7am! With breakfast and a departure brief from the marshals squared away, it was time to get in line, literally!

While waiting on the taxiway for our turn, I was astonished how many aircraft all wanted to take to the sky at the same time. To the credit of the volunteers on the ground and in the tower, directions were given either by hand signals or by radio instructions not requiring a response, in order to minimise radio clutter. The result was a constant stream of aircraft lining up in pairs on parallel runways, one permanent strip and one taxiway converted to a runway to help handle the sheer volume of AirVenture movements. Once airborne, the turn onto cross-wind was to be as soon as possible with the turn downwind taking place once

Fairchild F 24

clear of the airfield. This proved to give a good view of some of the businesses based in and around Wittman Airport including Basler Turbo Conversions, makers of the Turbine DC3.

Tracking to the south and clear of the Oshkosh area, Dan set course for his family’s dairy farm, about 100nm SSW, near Monroe, west of Milwaukee. It was at this point where Dan first handed over his prized Fairchild.

“Feel free to see what she can do,” was his instructions. Up to this point my only flying had been in the 1947 Cessna 140 I had completed my tailwheel endorsement in. Even at twice the MTOW of the C140, the Fairchild felt just as responsive on the controls with just a hint of adverse yaw to keep your feet healthily active on the rudder.

Once I had finished getting to know this lovely bird there was plenty of time to take in the landscape, a patchwork of green fields accompanied by the iconic red barns stretching, seemingly endlessly, to the horizon in every direction. The only interruption was the occasional arterial state highways between the major centres that you could be forgiven for forgetting even exist. Our destination was one of these green patches, complete with red barns and dairy cows where Dan was in the process of setting up a farm stay-style bed and breakfast. Located just outside of the Monroe

Ben (right) and his mate Dan. On downwind for Oshkosh

airport circuit area, the dairy farm has an airstrip cut in among the soybean crop where Dan executed a flawless three-point landing.

After a quick guided tour and introductions to some of Dan’s ‘girls” (the kind that moo), it was time to head to town for Dan’s meeting. In the meantime I was dropped off ‘downtown’ to get a first-hand taste of Monroe, a real American mid-west town.

I was left to explore Courthouse Square – home to the Green County Courthouse, built in 1891 of red brick and featuring a 120ft clock tower. I didn’t feel I could waste the opportunity. If anyone asked why I was there Dan’s suggestion was simply: “explain that you would just like to look around, but with the most Australian accent you can muster”.

I took this concept with me on the rest of my venture, investigating the mix of shops surrounding Courthouse Square, including antique and sporting goods stores.

I found lunch in the traditional style bar Baumgartners where the recommendation was the “almost world famous” Braunschweiger sandwich - mostly thick cut salami and cheese.

The return flight was somewhat pressed for time as there were no arrivals or departures during the afternoon flying displays which started at 2.30pm. There was however, one more matter to tend to during

Turning finals for Oshkosh RWY 36

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

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Ben flies the old Fairchild.

our departure. A few days prior, one of Dan’s two-day-old calves had escaped and had not been seen since. The tall crop surrounding the farm and the small size of the calf meant searching by foot would be next to impossible. A quick search from the air was the best chance of narrowing down an area to search later by foot or the ‘Gator’. “Just keep circling right here around the barn” were my instructions as Dan handed the Fairchild over to me again immediately following takeoff. After about three orbits Dan thought he could see something among the soy bean crop, took a couple of photos on his phone then we set course for Ripon, the start of the VFR approach to Oshkosh.

I had heard stories from other pilots who had flown in previously of having to hold over Green Lake or Rush Lake, or even having to divert to other local airfields due to the sheer volume of aircraft flying in. There was no such holding necessary for us, possibly due to cutting our return so fine. With my hands and feet on the controls I was listening to the radio closely

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and looking out intently over the unfamiliar landscape. Fortunately Dan had done this before and before I knew it we were over Ripon. Instructions were given to follow the railroad tracks northeast to Fisk, a 10nm leg.

There was no need to respond with more than a wing rock. The low level of traffic did allow for some controllers to compliment the Fairchild, with one asking exactly what it was. When the answer came back in an Australian accent I’m sure it just added to his confusion!

Another wing rock at Fisk and instructions to follow the east/west road (Fisk Ave) tracking to join base, runway 36L. As the turn onto final drew near I was more than happy to hand the Fairchild back to Dan because firstly I wouldn’t want to harm an aircraft that holds such meaning to Dan and his family, and secondly a first landing in an unfamiliar aircraft has the potential to be embarrassing in front of tens of thousands of people!

“Cleared to land on or after the yellow dot,” came through on the radio.

As we taxied back to the vintage aircraft camping area among the thousands of aircraft and waving to some of the keen enthusiasts already set up beside the taxiway in preparation for the air show, I was able to appreciate how special the day had truly been. It was an amazing experience coming from the other side of the world to be invited to share a flight by a new friend across a beautiful country in a vintage tail-dragger at the most famous fly-in and air show in the world.

Was this just part of the magic that is aviation, or just an example of how global our community really reaches? Either way, there is no denying how grateful I am for this experience.

A week after returning home a post appeared on my social media, despite all odds, the calf, thanks to our aerial spotting efforts of course, had indeed been found alive and returned to her mother. Now affectionately named Amelia (as in Earhart) she is a hit with all who visit the newly opened farm stay.

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

27

COLUMN

LEGAL EAGLE TWO TO TANGLE Spencer Ferrier asks a simple question, with complex answers.

T

his is probably one of the most difficult subjects I have encountered in my professional-flying and legal career and it is a subject that I turn to with some caution. I would very much like your contribution to the issue as it is one that will be greatly assisted by debate and experience. It is a superb example of the difficulty of a words-based system of law when up against a practical, immediate problem.

Imagine you are about to start on a trip in a light aircraft. You will not be Pilot in Command, that will be the person who will occupy the left-hand seat, who has the same licence (day VFR) but you know that you have spent much more time in the air. During your flight, you encounter an emergency of some kind and the pilot in command (using that word in its broadest sense) has either not noticed the need for, or is unable to or incapable of making a command decision. What should you do?. What right do you, the second person, have to intervene and what happens if there is a subsequent argument?

There are many versions of this problem. What if you are the owner of the aircraft but have offered the management of the flight to the person in the left seat? What if the owner is in the left seat but you can see a problem coming? This problem can be a life-anddeath matter, one where, unless there is intervention, the aircraft will put you and your fellow at immediate risk of injury or death.

In your response in that instant, friends can turn away from each other for ever. They can become involved in difficult legal issues of blame, damages and the like. This is not to mention the possibility of months or years of intervention in the event by authority – be that police, CASA, or other.

This is far from an idle question. Life-changing events can take place, often in a split-second when a crisis in the air arises and when one party intervenes because of inaction or inability of the other.

The aviation outcome can alter the course of events irreparably.

I have set out below a brief statement of the core Australian rules about licences for pilots and pilot in command for RAAus pilots and for GA. The rules of the air apply to RAAus as much as to general aviation and the law sets out the requirement for managing an aircraft. I also include a section of the NSW Crimes Act that is also designed to cheer you up. Obviously, there is much more, and you can read it all on the internet if you wish.

Consider this serious, but almost benign example: imagine that you and your friend, a pilot, are on board a heavily but legally loaded small aircraft about to commence a private flight. Assume that there has been no discussion about pilot in command. The aircraft has a laminar flow wing, which during take-off requires after lift-off that a positive climb attitude to be established, unlike a less slippery wing which will simply lift itself off and begin to climb without a second control input. The aircraft is off the ground, flying parallel to it; the fence at the end of the runway is rapidly approaching – the aircraft will climb and will fly but the pilot in the left seat doesn’t appear to realise that he must establish a positive climb attitude.

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

Do you call out? If so, what do you say?

Do you move the controls yourself? Do you do that silently or with a call? Do you say ‘taking over’ or do you simply move the controls, allow the aircraft to fly away and settle down to a sociable trip?

If, before your flight, you were being pedantic (and the pedants will say you should be) you would probably have a conversation something like this: Pilot 1: I will be pilot in command. Do not touch any of the controls unless I approve your movement prior to you doing so. I may say ‘do not conduct that action’ in any event. If I say that, you must not touch any of the controls or any part of the operating part of the aircraft.

Pilot 2: OK, but if I see that I really must intervene immediately, I will commence to do so and as I do, I will say ‘taking over’.

When I have finished what I plan to do I will say to you ‘handing over’ and you can resume as pilot in command.

Pilot 1: Not if I say ‘no’.

Incidentally, have you asked to see his licence? Checked his logbook? Offered your licence to him?

It sounds strange, but I have actually come across a person who didn’t have a licence at all to fly the aircraft he was operating – and it was a big one, too!

Even with that litany, how do you manage the moment that you see as a dangerous risk as the aircraft charges towards the fence and the low trees beyond? What if pilot 1 says no?

This problem is far from trivial. What is not able to be taken into account are two very important factors. The first is that words on paper are of little use in the dynamics of an emergency, unless the emergency is one where there is time to look up emergency checklists. Naturally, if there is time, that is the first thing to do. In a small aircraft, unless the problem is well away from impact or loss of control, the emergency checklists are exactly the correct thing to look at. The No. 2 pilot ought to be able to hand the pilot the checklist or at least inform the pilot that he had better start looking at it!

The second part of the problem is that the moment of crisis will come and go very quickly. A requirement to do a go-around at the last moment depends on airspeed, runway availability and other conditions. An incipient spin might develop into a real spin, which can be destructive. In these circumstances, a pre-flight briefing on who will do what would be a great help – but often, such an emergency is far from everyone’s thoughts as the trip starts out. I know of a man who was pilot in command who died because his aircraft ran into a ditch at the end of the runway after landing long, fast

EXCERPTS OF LAW:

Prejudicing the safe operation of an aircraft or vessel

CRIMES ACT 1900 (NSW)

S.205 Prejudicing the safe operation of an aircraft or vessel

A person who, whether on board the aircraft or vessel or not, does anything with the intention of prejudicing the safety of an aircraft or vessel is liable to imprisonment for 14 years.

CIVIL AVIATION ACT 1988

and probably overloaded. If his passenger had called for a go-around or applied power and taken over the flight, would that have been wrongful interference?

Another issue emerges that might not be expected. There is usually no cockpit recording or control position data collection. Some GA aircraft do have this facility, but grim experience makes it clear that even technowhizz stuff often doesn’t work properly when it is critically needed. I have seen that happen. Importantly, as the event recedes, not only will people have different views about what happened, some of them are the personal reaction to the perceived facts. In any event, they will be laced up with justifying material which is often impossible to disentangle from the real story. A truly serious disagreement will never be resolved by any third party.

Now consider the entry into the picture of authority. One expects that aeronautical authority will review the facts carefully. Sometimes, however, prejudice can creep into its approach as it is under pressure from demands or comments of political, commercial and passenger interest. If it is a police inquiry the over-arching issue of whether a crime has been committed will be of prime, if not spoken, interest.

All of these matters are far away from the two people climbing on board on a sunny afternoon for a short flight. This hidden problem is not solved by lawyers writing words: it is not solved by allowing intervention in the controls; it is most likely solved by a quick, formal discussion about how to manage an emergency should it occur. At least all parties will have reached the starting gate of the problem. I will be most interested to hear what your view about confronting this problem will be.

In the meantime, on the next occasion I will review a few cases where non-pilot intervention has led to both good and bad outcomes.

SECT 3

" civil aviation authorisation" means an authorisation under this Act or the regulations to undertake a particular activity (whether the authorisation is called an AOC, permission, authority, licence, certificate, rating or endorsement or is known by some other name).

SECT 20AB

Flying aircraft without licence etc.

(1) A person must not perform any duty that is essential to the operation of an Australian aircraft during flight time unless:

(a) the person holds a civil aviation authorisation that is in force and authorises the person to perform that duty; or

(b) the person is authorised by or under the regulations to perform that duty without the civil aviation authorisation concerned.

Penalty: Imprisonment for 2 years.

Civil Aviation Safety Regulations

61. flight crew licence means:

(a) a pilot licence;

pilot, used as a noun, means a person authorised under this Part to manipulate the flight controls of an aircraft during flight. pilot, used as a verb, means:

(a) to manipulate the flight controls of an aircraft during flight; or

(b) to occupy a flight control seat in an aircraft during flight.

Recreational Aviation Australia Operations Manual (RAAus Ops Manual) Civil Aviation Orders (CAO) 95.10, 95.32 and 95.55, as applicable, direct that all recreational aeroplanes be operated in accordance with the standards and procedures specified in S. 2.01

S. 201

1. A person intending to act as pilot in command of a Group A or B recreational aeroplane operated under the provisions of this manual and associated legislation must:

a. be a financial member of RAAus; and

b. be the holder of a valid Student or Converting Pilot Certificate or Pilot Certificate, in the appropriate aeroplane Group, issued or recognised by RAAus; … … (etc etc)

(If a person does not have a RAA licence then the Civil Aviation Act operates, as that Act operates for all aircraft)

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

29

COLUMN

LEARNING TO FLY COMMON SENSE IS BLOWING IN THE WIND – AND LANDING INTO IT! David Bonnici learns airmanship means making decisions, which stands him in good stead for his check flight!

A

recent ATSB accident report highlighted the dangers of landing with the wind. In this case the pilot of a Cessna 182 attempted to land at a private airfield and touched down halfway along the runway before bouncing several times.

He initiated a go-around but hit trees at the end of the runway with tragic results. Investigators attributed the unstable approach and landing to a 15 knot tail wind, noting the strip did not have a windsock.

Without commenting on this specific accident I count taking off and landing into the wind one of the basic commandments of flying. Yet it’s incredible how many pilots I see, even with the benefit of a windsock, defying a 10 to 15 knot tail-wind because it’s convenient, only for others to follow – this can be particularly dangerous at airfields with students and low-time pilots.

I recently came across this when inbound to Lethbridge after a quick local area flight. I had taken off from Runway 10 and on returning an hour later heard a taxi call to same runway. So I joined downwind from 45 degrees, radioed my position, and was set up nicely until a glance down at the airfield showed the windsock pointing firmly to two-eight.

I radioed the taxiing aircraft to confirm the windsock direction but got no answer.

Another pilot, having heard the previous calls, declared his intentions to land on one-zero.

There was a time when I would have been hesitant to disrupt the status quo, assuming the bloke on the ground knew better than me. But another look down confirmed it wasn’t just a gust. I wasn’t sure where that second aircraft was – I thought I heard him say he was at 4500, so I thought ‘stuff this’ and called that I was leaving the circuit to reset for Runway 28.

“Is it two-eight, or one-zero?” the inbound pilot asked. “I’m going by the windsock,” I replied. “I’m going to swing around to the west of the airfield for a long downwind for two-eight.”

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

Still no word from the first pilot who by this time was taking off with the wind.

The Tecnam’s fuel tanks were down to about 30 percent so it took some coaxing to get its light airframe back onto terra firm even into the 10 knot breeze. This wouldn’t have been much fun if that was blowing up my tail.

After filling the wings with premium unleaded I taxied back to the hangar. There was a fella washing an aerobatic aircraft out front who, as it turned out, was the other pilot in the circuit. Looking at his shiny blue and yellow vomit comet, it suddenly made sense how he managed to drop from 4500ft and touch down before me.He thanked me for clarifying the wind direction and praised the way I continued to communicate my position after leaving the circuit.

Now, I’m someone who thrives on confidence so it was pretty good to receive a nod to my airmanship from an experienced pilot. And I was able to take this to my next mission – my cross-country check flight!

This involved a straightforward triangular return flight to/from Lethbridge, via Maryborough and Ararat, though a couple of little birdies had told me expect a diversion and forced landing drill.

Route one almost went off a hitch.

Despite scattered cloud and a vibrant crosswind at 6500ft everything unfolded below me as expected and it wasn’t long before I could see YMBU, which stands out like a red scar in the central Victorian countryside.

I got down to 1500ft over the town and banked toward the airfield ready to turn left for Runway 35 downwind, or right for Runway 17’s right-hand circuit. One-seven it was. I turned into downwind a bit too soon and was too high by the time I turned final. Side-slipping wasn’t enough to get me down so I went around well before reaching the fence. This was my first baulked landing since starting my navs, but my decision-making won some praise from my CFI, Graham. You can do worse than go around on a check flight.

I lined up again only to watch the windsock swing around to the east. I carried on with a crosswind landing that wasn’t pretty but demonstrated my ability to adapt and remain composed – which certainly hasn’t always been the case.

After a quick break we took off for Ararat. As we approached Mt Avoca, Graham told me to divert toward Streatham. I had overflown this small town a couple of times so was able to quickly locate it on the map.

I drew a crude line to it from my current position, estimated a 200-degree heading, and noted the dominant landmarks.

Then the engine started spluttering. I pulled the stick back for the 70 knot glide speed, confirmed the main and magneto switches were on, and checked the fuel valves.

The Tecnam P92 has small fuel valve handles placed on each windscreen pillar. I had the turned the left valve off to manage the tanks and rightly assumed Graham had sneakily closed the right valve. I switched the fuel pump and both valves on, and the engine burst into life before I’d barely lost any altitude.

Pleased with that, Graham told me to get my iPad out and plot a course to Lethbridge using Oz Runways – his thinking being I was going to use it so I might as well show I could. I followed the magenta line until everything became familiar and from there everything was routine enough for me to forget the obligatory “I passed” selfie.

It was a low-key ending to my most significant flight training achievement yet.

Now I really feel like a pilot. Knowing that I can now fly almost wherever I want has made the bug even stronger. All I need to do now is decide where to go.

Instagram: @flyingafter40

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Official EFB AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

31

COLUMN

SAFETY HUMAN FACTORS CONTRIBUTION TO GROUND INCIDENT

Colin Drew relates a tale of how human factors can impact aircraft operations – even when on the ground.

I

was assisting an inexperienced student pilot fly a home-built Light Sports Aircraft he had just bought from a remote airfield in Queensland back to our base in SA, a distance of about 950nm.

This meant, as such, I was pilot in charge.

An inspection of the aircraft revealed it didn’t quite match the sale advertisement as being in “pristine condition”. Although a little disappointed my colleague decided to complete the transaction to become the new owner of the aircraft. Of significance, the engine oil and water appeared to check out ok.

After departing the airfield in Queensland, it quickly became apparent that the engine cylinder head and oil temperature were running very hot so we conducted a precautionary landing at an airfield en route. The new owner purchased a five litre container of coolant, plus some oil. After topping up we decided it was safe to continue the journey. The aircraft required constant monitoring of engine temperature and we topped up with coolant at each scheduled stop. Due to fuel tank size limitations each leg was planned for only two to 2.5 hours in length. Our progress was slow with cruise mostly about 70kts to help keep the engine from overheating.

After some 10 hours in the air, heading for the last stop before our destination we decided to change our plan and divert to a nearby large airfield that was likely to have maintenance facilities should we require them. This airfield was unfamiliar to me and I did not have a print-out of its details such as those I’d prepared for all the other alternate and refuelling stops in our original flightplan. I was also feeling tired with the stress of constantly monitoring and managing engine temperatures and not comfortable as I knew there were commercial operations operating to and from this larger airfield.

We arrived at this new last refuelling stop, which appeared deserted at 1645, and I followed the taxiway until I thought I saw the refuelling point and headed towards it. It turned out to be further along but there were no other aircraft in the marked-out GA parking bays so we taxied our aircraft to the refuelling bay in front of the parking bays. However, we then had to call out the refueller staff as the pump would not accept credit cards, only a specific refuelling card.

After a long wait and, finally refuelled and coolant topped up, we were ready to continue the last leg. I was anxious to get going as I was to be working the next day requiring an early start.

A commercial aircraft was now parked in one of the bays and I retraced our path back to the taxiway. I did not realise I was not on a taxiway while retracing our steps from the refuelling point back to the taxiway.

After hearing on the radio that two commercial flights were

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

inbound and, as we would have to backtrack the main runway, it was deemed prudent to wait on the taxiway. This took longer than expected and we were then advised by radio that ‘fluid’ was seen to be leaking from our aircraft. A security vehicle was requested and we shut down to investigate. The fluid turned out to be coolant as the engine was again overheating due to the delay.

After the engine cooled down, we departed and successfully completed the last leg home.

All Good, a Job Well Done: Maybe Not? I discovered the next day that an ATSB incident report had been raised due to our not correctly following the marked taxiways at the large airfield.

Thinking Things Out: So to the all important lessons learned, and the role that human factors played in the path to an incident report.

Firstly, after initial departure from Queensland and noticing all was not well with the operation of the engine, should the new owner have contacted the previous owner to learn if there was more information available about the overheating concerns?

Secondly, was our decision to press on towards home with apparent engine problems a wise one, or was it a case of ‘getthere-itis’? Would it have been a safer option to return to the departure airfield to effect repairs with the previous owner? Maybe we should have landed asap and stayed locally until repairs were undertaken?

Were we just lucky not to have had a complete engine failure and an emergency landing due to our decision to press on with a known problem?

Did disappointment, stresses and tiredness play significant roles in our decision-making while involved in movements on the ground in the unfamiliar and changing environment of a strange and busy commercial airport?

Then there was our decision to continue on after acknowledging tiredness while still in comparative safety on the ground. Was this the wisest and safest option we could have taken?

Human factors training stresses that tiredness is a debilitating and accumulating condition. Weariness becomes more and more dangerous as a long flight progresses. Decisions become poorer and attention to detail falls away sharply. Further, the extent of these symptoms is usually lost on the pilot meaning he or she has much reduced situational awareness so is often the last to be aware of the reduction of their abilities.

Stress due to any matters of concern, due to the aircraft, lack of preparation, delays and even problems at home, can cause a normally sensible pilot to make more irrational, even stupid decisions.

All human factor influences are known to be compounding, meaning that each concern or negative experience felt by the pilot and crew piles on top of each other, forming conditions of frustration and poor judgement that could be way beyond the ability of the pilot under their influence to recognise and continue to react rationally.

These serious threats are reduced when a pilot is trained to recognise the early symptoms and is personally dedicated to positively acting on those human factor clues to reduce the threats.

Conclusions: A few days of rest and reflection has really changed my perspective regarding some of my decisions. Although we got home

safely on this occasion, it is now very clear that decisions we took had the effect of considerably reducing the flight’s safety margins – those invisible things that rode along with us, waiting to bite us when least expected.

This time we were lucky that we were not bitten badly but never again will I ignore my human factors.

The cause? The new owner of the homebuilt Allegro found the air intake was considerably smaller in comparison with other aircraft with the same engine type. He made several modifications to the cowling of which the most effective was a 3 inch ‘scoop’ directing air over the engine and radiator. This has made a huge difference to the temperatures.

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

33

FEATURE

HOMEBUILT HORNET – A TOUCH OF DIFFERENCE Mark Smith looks at a unique design that’s that's turning heads

On the runway at Colac airfield.

I

magine buying a set of plans for a single seat aircraft and the instructions said to begin, buy two fibreglass Canadian canoes!

Builder Colin Jamieson didn’t have a set of plans but he did use two canoes as the basis of his own-design Hornet’s fuselage, one on top of the other. It’s a unique approach but there was method to his madness. While he has no formal background in aircraft design, a trait shared with many great designers, he does understand that flowing lines equal low drag and this is how the canoes came into the picture.

“I wanted a compound curve fuselage

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

and I wanted something that was aerodynamic. A canoe is designed with fluid dynamics in mind and they are similar to aerodynamics so I figured a canoe slides through the water so a fuselage incorporating canoes would slice through the air.”

The Hornet was his second own-design, the first being the Cobram Cobra with fabric-covered wings and a wooden fuselage. After working with such traditional materials and techniques he decided he wanted something a bit different with his next effort.

“After I built the Cobra and flew it for a number of years I decided I wanted to

improve on that. I wanted it to be able to be disassembled and assembled by one person and I wanted it to have flaps. I was sick of fabric so I wanted hard surface wings and tail and I wanted something that looked a bit different. I also wanted something that would eat Jabirus but not look like one,” he says, laughing. “All my friends fly Jabs so I like to go faster than they do!”

The recently retired farmer, who is also a motor mechanic, has been around aviation for most of his life thanks to his father who has been a glider and power pilot, in Colin’s words ‘forever’.

“I’ve always been interested in flying.

Photos: Mark Smith

“I saw the Hornet in the Sport Pilot magazine and thought I have to have that.

He was selling it quite cheaply because he’d kept the engine for his next project.”

But I never had enough money to buy my own aeroplane so if I wanted one I always had to build my own.

“Apart from the canoes giving the Hornet a fibreglass fuselage, the spar in the wing is hoop pine with foam ribs and a 1mm aircraft ply skin which was then covered in glass cloth and epoxy. It was the same with the tail.” Colin sold the

Hornet three years ago but has continued his building exploits.

“I’m currently flying one of my other own-designs, which is my fifth aeroplane.

Now I’ve bought a half completed Sonex 1X that I’m finishing and I’ll put my Jabiru engine in that.”

Colin describes himself as a self-taught pilot, having been attracted to the ultra-

light movement in its early days.

“I bought a Winton Grasshopper, assembled it in a mate’s paddock and taxied around a bit before going out and scaring the pants of myself flying.

"Thankfully I survived. You weren’t really supposed to do that, and thank goodness we have good training now, but back then that’s what we did.”

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

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The story of the Hornet continued with new owner Bruce Atkinson, who bought the aircraft three years ago minus its 80hp Jabiru engine. “I saw the Hornet in the Sport Pilot magazine and thought I have to have that. He was selling it quite cheaply because he’d kept the engine for his next project,” he says as we sit in his hangar, the Hornet tucked under the wing of the Drifter he owned for 16 years.

“The front was just a mess of wires and people told me that I’d never get it going.

It was certainly a learning curve working out how to fit an engine given I’d never done anything like that before.”

Once the engine was in and it was signed off for flight, Bruce faced the next step of actually flying his Hornet.

“I thought since I had a tail wheel rating and a lot of time in the Drifter I wouldn’t have a problem. I didn’t realise this was a whole different aeroplane Then, when I was doing some fast taxiing at Ballarat airport I had a ground loop in it. The damn thing was like a rattle snake, just waiting to get away from you.”

“So I taxied up and down the runway at Ballarat some more, then trailered it down here to Colac and did the same thing. I kept running up and down the runway, then going home because I wasn’t game

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

enough to take it off,” he says.

“Then one evening a group of blokes from the club were watching me and they said ‘Bruce, the weather looks pretty good, it’s really calm’ and I decided if I went home then I would never end up flying it.

So I jumped in, opened the throttle and took off, flew a circuit and did a perfect landing and it was just a delight. I could not believe it. It was almost better than my first solo. I was so happy that it flew so well because I put a lot of time and energy into fitting the engine.”

Bruce’s first experience in aviation came when he was 19, in the early days of hang gliding. This led him into joining the RAAF. “I joined the airforce but they wouldn’t have me as aircrew. So when I left the airforce I learned to fly with MAF Air at Ballarat and got my GA licences but it just proved too expensive to go down that track. So I got into ultralights and bought a very cheap Quicksilver and flew that for a number of years before I upgraded to a Drifter and flew that for 16 years, though I’ve still been hang gliding the whole time.”

Bruce sold the Drifter to help fund the Hornet, though it still resides in his hangar and he still flies it occasionally. However he has his sights set on another aeroplane

somewhere in the future.

“I would love to own an Arion Lightning one day. My wife likes flying but she’s not too keen on the Drifter. Then again, affording one would mean selling my current house and moving into something a bit cheaper since I’m retired and money has to be watched.

“The Hornet is a bit selfish but I don’t think I’d sell it. I imagine it would depend on the finances at the time but it’s just so much fun!”

Current owner Bruce Atkinson

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Join Gympie Aero Club, email robertfraser11@bigpond.com AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

37

PILOT PROFILE FEATURE

LEARNING TO DANCE, TAILWHEEL STYLE LEARNING FROM THE BEST Michelle O’Hare learns her feet are useful for more than walking as she masters a ‘conventional’

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

Mark Smith caught up with him.

F

or years I’ve been using my feet sparingly in the nosewheel aircraft I learned to fly in. A touch of right on take-off, feed in a bit of pressure in a turn and pedal left or right to turn off the runway after a flight. Sure they’d get a bit more of a work out in a crosswind, but how often do we land in one? Now they were about to be needed far more than ever before as I approached Dubbo runway for my first landing with a wheel at the back.

Strapped into the aircraft with a four point harness and the instructor sitting behind me, protected by his shiny yellow helmet, the stories of tailwheel pilots and ground-loops were rushing through my head. I had often heard that only those who were masters of rudder control and crosswind technique could pull off a landing in a tailwheel aircraft, leaving me to question whether a hobby pilot like myself really has what it takes.

But something my instructor, Dan Compton from Wings Out West, said stuck with me to centre my focus. It was simply

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“accept it, use it and use it well”. Dan said that each aircraft has its own set of challenges, but by accepting that the aircraft will be different and using it how it was designed, which in this case meant lots of rudder work, you would be able to fly the aircraft well. It was time to put his theory to the test.

Accept It – This Aircraft Is Different The aircraft we were flying was the American Legend Aircraft Company – Super Legend Cub which is pretty much a new build Super Cub but a bit lighter. Although there are a number of features that make this aircraft unique the most notable difference, compared to anything else I had flown before, was the tailwheel. It was interesting to learn how simply moving one wheel to the back of the aircraft had so many flow on effects.

Dan explained that the centre of gravity (CoG) in a tailwheel aircraft is located behind the main landing gear. This meant that unlike the self-correcting nose wheel

aircraft I was used to flying, this tailwheel needed to be controlled correctly or else the aircraft’s CoG would pivot around the main gear and pull the tail around in a ground-loop. To add to the challenge of controlling this aircraft on the ground, its high nose attitude, further exaggerated by the big bush tyres on the main landing gear, meant that my vision out the front would be reduced.

Although Dan’s first piece of advice was to accept, and not simply ignore, the differences it was also reassuring when he pointed out how my familiarity with other aircraft types would help me transition.

He explained that the Super Cub was light weight like the Bristell (and all other RAAus aircraft), had a left handed throttle and stick like the Robin I’m learning aerobatics in, and had a high wing configuration like the Cessna.

There was just one more challenge left before we could get started and that was how to physically get into the aircraft.

After a few twists and turns I managed to

Michelle with the Legend after her solo flight.

climb into the front seat, which was unexpectedly spacious, and with the help of a couple of cushions, I had my feet on the pedals ready to go.

Use it – just fly the aeroplane how it was designed to be flown I guess it was only fair that the aircraft decided to ignore my rudder input after I decided to ignore its differences by attempting to taxi it like it had a nosewheel.

My initial turning circle was too wide so I had pushed in some extra left rudder which unfortunately meant that by the time I was ready to straighten out of the taxiing turn that my right rudder did not respond. As the aircraft took us around for the second time Dan reminded me that taxiing a tailwheel requires you to use a careful combination of brakes and rudder to sharpen up the otherwise wide turns.

Too much rudder had unlatched the tailwheel making it unusable until brakes were applied then followed by rudder to correct it. Just like Dan had predicted,

once I had accepted the differences of this aircraft I had my feet switching between rudder pedals and heel brakes to positively taxi the aircraft around the grass paddock and onto Dan’s private airstrip ready for the first tailwheel take-off.

As I sat at the end of the runway, ready to take-off, Dan’s next piece of advice was “look straight, think straight, go straight”.

Looking straight meant looking at a combination of the Super Cub cockpit and blue sky and so pushing in the throttle to blindly build up speed and accelerate down the runway definitely got the heart pumping. As the speed built up it felt odd to be pushing the stick slightly forward to take the weight off the tail allowing it to start flying first before the main landing gear. However, for all the challenges that the tailwheel presented on the ground, once we were airborne the Super Cub flew so smoothly.

The large windows that framed the Paulnow andprovided Karen Strike cockpit for great visibility in all directions that drew your eyes outside

and away from the simple instrument panel. The Super Cub only required gentle inputs to the controls and its slow speed allowed me to enjoy the flight.

As we joined back into the Dubbo Airport circuit the general principles I had learnt during my flight training still applied. I flew crosswind, downwind and base just like I would in any other light aircraft. As we joined final Dan reminded me that the most important action to remember on landing was to “keep the stick back”. When flying a nose wheel aircraft it is easy to become complacent and let the stick relax after touchdown, however a taildragger will not let you get away with this.

It was beneficial that the Super Cub had such a slow approach speed as it allowed me to feel as though I could stay ahead of the unfamiliar aircraft. As the aircraft slowed into ground effect and flared, I pulled the stick gently back meaning that my visibility out the front disappeared again. Although it was tempting to push the stick forward just a little bit so I could AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

39

Up in the air and on her own see the runway I knew that this was no longer an option as Dan reminded me again “keep the stick back”. In the final moments before touchdown I was flying the aircraft by feel until all three wheels met the runway together. The Super Cub lands at the stall but there was no stall warning to distract me from focusing on holding that stick back to keep the aircraft planted on the runway and straight with gentle taps on each of the rudders.

Use it well - my first (tailwheel) solo

My initial goal with the tailwheel training was to generally improve my flying skills and learn something new. Given that I had built up a perception in my head that a tailwheel aircraft would be very difficult to control, I would have been happy with just one nice landing. However with each of my circuits my landings got a little bit better to the point where I was landing smoothly on all three wheels at once. My now newly-focused stick and rudder control and complete awareness of the changing crosswind

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

indicated by the windsock meant that even in this once unfamiliar aircraft I was not going to let anything push me off course.

It was at this point, sitting on the runway after another stop-and-go landing, that Dan said “do you want me to jump out?

Because I want to jump out.”

I originally had no expectation of going solo anytime soon. However, there was something unexpectedly beneficial about the unfamiliar tandem seating configuration of the Super Cub. Throughout the whole training process I wasn’t able to see the instructor’s facial expressions or the proximity of his hands to the controls which really helped build my confidence by making me feel in command of the aircraft the whole time.

My first tailwheel solo went really well and I felt so pleased to have completed that milestone. The Super Cub is such a nice aircraft to fly and now that I have completed my tailwheel endorsement I am looking forward to exploring other tailwheel aircraft that I have been missing out

on over the years. However, the skills and techniques I learned during this tailwheel experience will be invaluable no matter what aircraft I fly.

COLUMN

TRAINING HOW TO TAME A TAILDRAGGER

Following on from Michelle O’Hare’s story, Rob Knight explains the forces involved with a tail wheel aircraft.

I

plane is hired, the hirer will be most unhappy with the pilot and did both my first ever flight ever, and my first ever flying lesson, in a 90Hp PA18 Cub, one of the most ubiquitous taildraggers of all it is likely to ruin their whole day. For this reason, taildraggers are time. I then went on to fly several other types as well during my taxied slowly, and with the stick held back, preferably right back, training; PA22 Colt, Morane Saulnier 880B Ralley, Cessna 172, Victa so available slipstream can assist in holding the tail down and give 100, and PA28 Cherokee before I got to my PPL. With the mix of the propeller the best chance of survival. aeroplanes I trained on, I was neither a taildragger nor a nose-wheel For the rest of the taxi experience, nose-wheel equipped pilot – I was taught to fly the aeroplane under the seat to which I aeroplanes are like dogs. They are stable and user-friendly, and was strapped, and that was all there was to it. I never needed to almost always want to go where you want to go. They are faithful, convert from one discipline to the other, and I think that, perhaps, I and easy to correct if there is any misunderstanding because they was very lucky. are happy with the pilot being in command. Tail-wheeled aeroYears later, as an instructor, I watched with concern at the planes, on the other hand, are more akin to cats, skittish, and they difficulties other pilots experienced when converting to or from don’t have friends – they have staff. And they never want to go nose or tail wheel aeroplanes. I admit that only a few pilots wanted along anywhere with you, ever! They want to go anywhere else to convert to a nose-wheel, having trained in Cubs or Austers (a but where you want. Even if they don’t have a destination, it’s still couple even on Tiger Moths) but the vast majority were trained in somewhere other than where you want. Like a cat, a taildragger Victas, Cherokees, or Cessnas, and wanted to buy, or purchase a wants to be in control all the time. share, in, a dreaded taildragger!

Nose-wheeled aeroplanes have their centre of gravity in front So why do taildraggers have this terrible reputation? What of the main wheels and behind the nose-wheel. This means that terrible secret do they hide that turns ace pilots in to jelly-kneed the centre of their mass lies ahead of the frictional drag of the apprentices? How can they grab an experienced pilot by the nose main wheels when on the ground. This makes them inherently and pirouette him or her embarrassingly all around an aerodrome, stable directionally because in any yaw or turn action, a greater or bounce them into the Richter scale on landing? The answer to couple is created on the outside wheel which tries to restore the these questions is both simple and complex because, while the travel to straight ahead. Their centre of gravity, being ahead of the aeroplane is a machine, the pilot is all too human. main wheels which carry most of the aeroplane’s weight, makes Let’s look at the aeroplane first. To be frank, a comparison of them docile and easy to control. It’s just relatively small applicaa tail-wheel aeroplane and a nose-wheel aeroplane in flight show tions that are needed on the rudder pedals to keep the aeroplane almost identical characteristics: if you can fly one, you can fly the rolling in the direction that the pilot wants. other. There are differences, but so insignificant that most pilots I In essence, nose-wheeled aeroplanes are taxied easily with have trained couldn’t name them. relatively small rudder movements and, because any given pedal On the ground the similarity seems to disappear. Nose wheel and rudder movement gives a constant rate of yaw (turn), rudder aircraft act relatively docile, and contrast as night is to day with applications can be slow and measured to give slow and meatail-wheelers. But is all this real? The answer is, not really. Tail-wheel sured changes in direction on the ground. Pilots, trained on noseequipped aeroplanes are no harder to operate on the ground than wheeled aeroplanes naturally become accustomed to this and nose-wheel ones, but they do require a different set of priorities automatically allow their subconscious to do most of the work. and sharper skills. However, we must also convince our minds of They develop no piloting habits of being pro-active in controlling this, and therein lies the hardest part of a taildragger conversion. their aeroplane’s direction of the ground – it’s too easy – because Let’s start with taxiing. There are parallels that will become they don’t need it, the aeroplane is doing it for them. apparent when we look at the latter stages of the landing phase, They sit there being able to remain reactive, only responding so let’s get right down to the fundamental differences for a noseafter the change in direction is easily apparent or established. The wheel experienced pilot converting to a taildragger. For a start, aeroplane is stable directionally. This stability is not only acting more attention needs to be placed in stick/yoke position when to aid the pilot when steering, but also when one or other of the taxiing in a tail dragger compared to a nose wheeled aeroplane. wheels meets rolling resistance. Here, with the centre of gravity Nose-wheeled aeroplanes are unlikely to nose over, they are genahead of the draggy wheel, the yaw force is reduced and, still, erally as pitch stable on the ground as they are fixed in a flying or small rudder applications are most usually sufficient to maintain horizontal attitude. control.

On the other hand, taildraggers can trip over their feet, even Now strap the same pilot into an aeroplane with a tail wheel. It on just small obstacles, especially if taxied fast. The results of is perfectly natural that he/she will apply the same techniques as trip-overs too often end with catastrophic results to the propeller.

John in his Swift near Temora they did when the third wheel was in front of their feet instead or Propeller strikes are considered pretty bad form and, if the aeroAUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

41

COLUMN

TRAINING

trailing somewhere out the back. However, now their world of directional control has changed with the change in centre of gravity to being behind the main wheels. No longer is it a case of a dog following on a lead, the aeroplane now wants to swing away from its current direction at any time the nose moves left or right. It is quite unstable.

Any yaw or change in direction will not remain at a constant rate of yaw. Instead, as the nose swings, the centre of gravity begins to drive the turn and not the rudder pedals as was the case with the nose-wheel aeroplane. This action of the centre of gravity taking over and providing the turn force, increases rapidly and can quickly become more potent than the corrective force available through the rudder, and even with good differential braking, there may be insufficient control available to the pilot to stop the nose swinging. This will result in one or more out of control 360 degree changes in direction commonly termed a ground-loop. This is such a constant possibility in a taildragger aeroplane, it is jokingly said that there are only two types of taildragger pilots - those who have ground-looped, and those that have yet to.

While a ground-loop is possible at any time the aeroplane is moving on the ground, it is most likely to occur on the roll-out after landing. At this time the pilot is relaxing, relieved, perhaps, that the landing is over, and not applying 100% attention. The nose yaws a little - maybe he/she doesn’t even see it because visibility over the nose is limited in most taildraggers. The nose swings some more, with more urgency, and the pilot senses it. They apply a little out of turn rudder but not enough. The aircraft now takes over and the swing greatly accelerates. The pilot is thrown sideways in the cockpit as the aeroplane swaps direction. In doing so it may damage the undercarriage, or strike a wingtip on the ground.

All because they didn’t stop that yaw.

Obviously this doesn’t happen all that often or there would be no taildraggers left to fly. So what is the secret? It’s in the paragraph above – because they didn’t stop the yaw.

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

On the ground, a pilot proficient in handling taildraggers will pay far more attention to yaw than movement about either other axis. As the directional stability in a taildragger is non-existent, the pilot must see the offending yaw commence and, while he/ she still has the rudder control available, stop that yaw to prevent a ground-loop developing.

This is not as difficult as it sounds. What it really means is that the pilot must concentrate on having the aircraft always under directional control, and being perpetually aware that the nose, once swinging, will always want to increase its swing and tighten that turn.

In conclusion, let’s look at the fundamental differences in flying a nose-wheeled aeroplane and a taildragger.

Take-off – nose-wheel aircraft: After lining up on the runway ensure the nose wheel is straight by taxiing straight forward a few feet before applying power. As the aeroplane accelerates, counter nose swing caused by 1.

Slipstream effect, 2. P” Factor, and 3. Propeller torque, all with rudder. Most commonly, these will cause left nose swing. There will be no gyroscopic effect until rotation when the nose is raised to become airborne and, in the case of the nosewheel aeroplane having its nose raised, the swing will be the other way – usually to the right.

Take-off – tail-wheel aircraft: After lining up on the runway ensure the tail wheel must be straightened by taxiing straight forward a few feet before applying power. As the aeroplane accelerates, counter all nose swing which will be caused by 1.

Slipstream effect, 2. P” Factor, 3. Propeller torque, and 4. Gyroscopic force as the tail is raised (nose lowered), Again, all with rudder. Again, most commonly, these will cause left nose swing. Note well that there will be gyroscopic effect as the tail rises which is likely to substantially add to the nose swing caused by the other three factors.

Now the landing. First, in a nose wheeled aeroplane (assume no crosswind): Flare that aeroplane, and maintain height over the ground by easing the stick back sufficiently to maintain constant lift as the speed diminishes. Any impact between the aeroplane and the ground will see the centre of gravity pull the nose down (because it is in front of the main wheels) and the nose wheel settles onto the runway: the nose coming down lowers the angle of attack and the lift diminishes instantly. The pilot should allow the stick/ yoke to settle in the central position as the speed slows. Maintain directional control with judicious pressure on the individual rudder pedals, only applying enough pressure to keep the aeroplane straight along the runway.

Now the landing in a tail-wheeled aeroplane: In a taildragger you have two types of landings – a three pointer where the aeroplane is stalled onto the ground in a three point (main wheels and tail wheel simultaneously), and a “wheeler” where the main wheels are kissed onto the ground, still with flying speed.

In the case of the wheeler, after touch-down, the aeroplane is flown tail-up while the speed falls. Directional control is, of course and as always, still with rudder. As the speed falls, the tail will settle, at which time the stick/yoke is drawn fully back to hold the tail down as the aeroplane slows down in the roll out. No yaw must be allowed to control the nose position. All unwanted yaw must be stopped immediately, with full rudder and maybe individual wheel brake if available if even more corrective force is necessary. As a last resort, a substantial power addition will raise the slipstream valve and add power to the rudder, but if that too fails, then a go-around must be initiated to avoid losing control over the aeroplane. Note that, as the tail settles, the pilot must change from looking over the nose, to looking out and along the side of the nose to see ahead.

If the aeroplane touches down with more than a gentle sink, the centre of gravity behind the wheels will pull the tail down and the nose up. This will increase the angle of attack and the aeroplane will fly off again. This is the start of many an embarrassing arrival if not immediately stopped. The aeroplane must be recovered and placed gently back onto the ground, to be held there with slight forward pressure on the stick. Violent or aggressive stick movements will not be tolerated, a yank of back stick and the aeroplane probably has enough momentum to climb back to 20 feet where, with no airspeed or control, the nose and wing will

be dropping – aaarrrgh! A push forward will maybe see the propeller shorten and disappear in a shower of gravel or turf - more aaarrrgh! Remember – gently does it! If in doubt, a pilot should go around. This is the universal “get-out-of-jail-free” card, and any pilot can use it at any time, and as often as they need.

For a three pointer, the aeroplane is flared and height maintained over the runway by easing the stick back sufficiently to maintain constant lift as the speed diminishes. This process is continued until the stick/yoke is right back and the aeroplane stalls and it settles gently onto the runway, all three wheels at once. The stick/yoke must be held as far back as possible as the speed slows. If the aeroplane touches down early, on the main wheels, the scenario depicted above is likely to begin as the centre of gravity pulls the tail down and lifts the nose, increasing the angle of attack.

Again, during roll-out, directional control is maintained with deliberate rudder inputs to arrest any/all yaw. The aeroplane must be kept straight along the landing path. Sometimes, in both wheelers and three pointers, savage rudder inputs must be used to arrest some yaw and start the nose returning to where the pilot wants it. Then the pilot must input almost as savage rudder the opposite way to stop the nose right where it where it needs to be.

From this I hope you can see that a taildragger is not hard to fly, it just requires more awareness of yaw and greater precision in control inputs on the ground. I look at taildraggers as trying to catch me out; to look for cracks in my performance and, if they find one, to wake me up in a hurry. All flying I enjoy, but a good landing in a taildragger is sweet icing on my cake.

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

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TRAVEL

THE BAREFOOT PILOT

What do you do when you buy a Sapphire in Bendigo while living in the Northern Territory? Co-owner Tim Earl tells us you catch a lift down and fly it back up of course!

A

s always it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Fellow Batchelor Aero Club member Grant Davis and I went halves in buying ‘Sapphy’, a 17-year-old Sapphire, with Grant claiming his half was a present his wife would love for her birthday, so getting her home was a joint venture. The plan was for Grant and his family to act as road crew while I did the flying.

A few of the guys down at the aero club didn’t quite believe we were planning on flying it all the way back, while our theory was ‘well have you tried it?’ We won’t

say it was easy, problem-free or perfect weather the whole way, but it was a blast!

There were tyre issues, a no shoe policy, mechanical headaches, weather obstacles, and eye-opening experiences at remote airstrips. The flight involved two RAAus pilots (one in reserve), a ground crew, 24 hours of flying over four states and territories that all equalled up to a total of 1754 nautical miles.

There were too many unknowns about the trip so each day when we’d stop for the night, we’d plan the next day’s flying.

The final route was Bendigo (Vic), Sealake (Vic), Mildura (Vic), Waikerie (SA), Peter-

The tiny Sapphire taxis out on yet another outback strip

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

borough (SA), Port Augusta, Port Augusta, Port Augusta (SA) road side truck stop (SA), Royal Flying Doctors airstrip (SA), Marla (SA), Kulgera (NT), Henbury (NT), Ti Tree (NT), Tennant Creek (NT), Newcastle Waters (NT), Mataranka (NT), McDonald airstrip (NT) and finally Batchelor (NT).

Day 0: Check flights

We drove from just south of Darwin to Bendigo in three days and everyone was keen to see the newest member of Hillbilly Acres. The Bendigo regulars at the club just couldn’t believe we were flying that far with

her and insisted we send them updates.

I was tasked with flying her home so I had to figure out how she handled. The weather was unbelievably bumpy and the brakes were marginal at best. But that wasn’t the biggest laugh for the day because it turns out I’m just that little bit too tall for her and I can only fly without my shoes on.

As Grant and I prepped for the check flights we heard all of the hangar talk was about how tricky Sapphires are to fly due to the sensitive controls and full flying tail.

Sapphy hadn’t flown for two years and after hearing all the hangar talk I thought

some slow taxis would be the best way to test her. Apparently turning at the end of the strip was problematic as the tail wheel locked and I got a full 360 degree view of the countryside. After jostling the rudder pedals and three views of the place I had to stop the engine before the wheel released itself. A slow taxi back was needed to ensure some obviously much-needed tail wheel adjustments could happen. Tail wheel sorted I decided to head for the skies. How hard could it be? I decided to wait for the students in the area to finish their circuits before I got up there and made a mess of

things. Grant got impatient and insisted that if I didn’t get up there now he’d do it himself. We found out later on, he was definitely bluffing. I eventually did an hour of circuits and decided that, as per normal, the hangar talk was just that - hangar talk.

She was awesome to fly, cozy but awesome.

We decided to then fly out to the Bendigo Glider Club as an initial cross country check flight. Grant and the ground crew drove over and I flew Sapphy. We figured out she could cruise at 96 knots with -5 degree flap and had a tiny fuel burn of 7lts an hour!

The gliding club guys were awesome

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

45

Parking up for the night

with Grant deciding to take a TIF on the spot. With Sapphy back in the main Bendigo hangar, bathed and tucked away it was time to plan the first day’s adventure.

Day 1: Bendigo – Waikerie (291 nautical miles)

We arrived at the airport around 7am and met the previous owner. He had always been the one flying her so he wanted to see what she looked like during flight. As Sapphy and I were still only new mates I decided a one hour flight to Sealake was our best bet for starting the really long trip ahead. With a final wing wave to Bendigo I tracked to Sealake. Again the fuel efficiently was unbelievable. What was a surprise is the Sapphire's descent is very slow compared to the many other planes I’ve flown. After circling around for 20 minutes thinking about how I should have started my descent 25 nautical miles earlier I was finally at 1000 feet above ground level. After a quick stopover at Sealake we agreed to head to Mildura for lunch. As the ground crew were travelling by road I was landing hours before they got there. That gave me plenty of time to sleep in the shade of Sapphy’s wings.

The weather from Mildura to Waikerie was stunning. Not a cloud in the sky. After landing I picked out a nice patch of grass to

46

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

tie her down to for the night. However, local resident Allen was on site mucking around with his Glassair and insisted we store her in his hangar for the night as Sapphy was far too nice a plane to leave outside. We started chatting while waiting for Grant and co.

Turns out he owns the Glassair and a glider with a jet engine. He and his mate were the nicest, most humble guys around. When Grant arrived we decided to celebrate a successful first day by having dinner on a paddle steamer. Rather conveniently the support crew left their wallets on land.

Day 2: Waikerie – Island Lagoon Lookout (232 nautical miles)

We met Allen at his hangar around 6am with plans to head to Peterborough for breakfast. The 40 knot head winds meant it was a rather slow trip. So slow in fact that the car kept up with me with the whole time.

There was a little terminal at Peterborough with awesome facilities, which made up for the terrible stony strip. After breakfast we had Port Augusta in our sights. As I flew over the hills I planned to fly north of the huge tomato farm. However due to the massive heliostat blinding situation (aka death rays) I tracked south of the farm. Apart from the large number of wind turbines throughout the area it was a rather uneventful flight.

When I landed it was 40 degrees on the ground. It was one of those times when climbing out of the plane barefoot proved to be a painful experience. After lunch, I taxied runway 33 for the next leg and that is when all hell broke loose. A kilometre from the terminal I blew a tyre. This meant I had to hop back out onto the scorching tarmac (barefoot) and call the ground crew back to the terminal. I then pulled Sapphy off the strip and enjoyed another view of the airfield as I walked the kilometre back to the ground crew.

While sorting out the tyre some extremely friendly Royal Flying Doctors guys came over to give us a hand with their compressor. Thinking all was well with Sapphy I then took off, however it wasn’t to be. The radio screeched non-stop and required me to land again. After a quick audit I realised the plane was too hot (thus causing the radio issues) as it had been sitting out in the 40 degree direct sunlight for two hours. So we let her cool down before, for the final time, we attempted to leave Port Augusta. Well that was the plan. However Port Augusta hadn’t finished with us yet. I was holding short when I heard an Alliance Airways Fokker 100 call ‘final’. So I realised this wouldn’t end well for me and headed back to the terminal (again). Apparently

that was the last issue and the next attempt to leave was successful. Since it was so late in the day, the plan was to fly as far as we could safely go before last light. This meant we landed at the Island Lagoon Lookout truck stop for the night. Rather surprisingly we had neighbours for the night. Unfortunately, they insisted on driving around on their small motor bikes till the wee hours of the morning.

Changing the tyre

Day 3: Island Lagoon Lookout – Marla (308 nautical miles)

Our neighbours were surprised when Sapphy fired up a few hours after they went to bed. We tracked up the Stuart Highway, for a Royal Flying Doctor's strip we had been told about, for breakfast. A truck driver was in the area when we landed, so we chatted to him and he was real keen on getting his own aircraft in the not to distant future. Coober Pedy was the next stop on the list. However they wanted to charge me a $50 landing fee. I didn’t agree and had plenty of fuel so we carried on.

Grant told me the strip at Marla was in town so they’d meet me there. When I landed I realised that wasn’t the case, rather it was a nice 3km stroll in the heat. Thanks Grant. The ground crew dropped me back out to Sapphy and we were off again. I AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

47

The police arrive

didn’t get far down the track before I called it for the day and landed for the night at Kulgera, the closest roadhouse to every beach in Australia. There were incredibly strong thermals throwing me 3000 ft up and down, meaning my head was hitting the top of Sapphy more than I was happy with.

I parked up and waited under a tree for the crew to arrive. We certainly didn’t waste the rest of the day though, spending it in the pool and then chomped into a decent steak for dinner.

Day 4: Marla – Newcastle Waters (615 nautical miles)

Due to day three being a short day, day four was going to be big! To achieve what we wanted to for the day’s flying I was up at the crack of dawn refuelling. We stopped briefly at Henbury for a quick splash and dash as we were planning to fly around Alice Springs due to the controlled airspace. The weather started off okay, but the closer we got to Alice Springs the worse it became. Eventually it became so bad that it was ranking in my top three worst weather conditions to fly in. There were plenty of alternate plans, but the main objective was to get to Ti Tree next. The low ceiling and high terrain weren’t confidence instilling and the shear off the hills wasn’t helping.

Once over the McDonald Range the weather improved and I began to relax for the first time that day. I managed to land with ample time in front of the ground grew and just before a huge north-bound storm. I tied Sapphy down to a hardstand and then checked on the storm again. I

48

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

decided it was best if I added some weight to her during the storm so I jumped back in the pilot’s seat and waited for the storm to pass. Once the storm had calmed a ChartAir Cessna 402 twin flew in. I spoke with the pilot (Kylie) as she awaited the police who were bringing out aid supplies for the nearby communities that were struggling with the seasonal heavy rains. Once the police arrived, I had some lunch with the ground crew and despite the wind not being ideal (gusting to 32 knots), the weather was much better than during the morning so we carried on. Next stop, Tennant Creek.

The landing situation at Tennant Creek was not great. The rather frustrating cross wind meant it unfortunately took me seven attempts to land. It doesn’t sound great, but I strongly believe if it doesn’t feel right, go around and do it again. We left the terminal for lunch (hello Red Rooster) however on return we hit a little snag. We had no issues getting out of the terminal or getting fuel in for Sapphy prior to lunch but when we returned we couldn’t get back in. Once we managed to get the attention of the staff they were more concerned about the fact we had managed to get out than the fact we couldn’t get back in!

Once Sapphy and I were reunited there were two plans of attack. Depending on the wind we were either aiming for Elliot or Newcastle Waters. As I flew over Elliot I still had ample daylight so continued on and landed with an hour’s light left. It had been a long day of flying, and oh how I need to pee once I’d landed! Due to the massive amount of kilometres the ground crew had done,

there were a few grumpy people around the camp that night and to make matters worse the generator decided not to start.

Day 5: Newcastle Waters – Batchelor (308 nautical miles)

The last day and the race was on now.

We left at first light and flew straight to Mataranka. By now I was so accustomed to flying with Sapphy that I glided in so quietly the kangaroos didn’t even bothering moving off the strip. From there I contacted Tindal tower for their hours of operation.

Once I’d told them I was a little two stroke ultralight with a low ceiling, there was high terrain in the area and I was happy to wait for them to close, I was told I could take advantage of their lunch break. So I rested under a tree for about three hours and then headed through the Tindal area. With that obstacle out of the way it was full steam ahead for Batchelor. There were however some concerns as I continued past Tindal as one fuel tank appeared to be emptying quicker than the other. Better to be safe than sorry, I landed on McDonald airstrip (World War II strip). After landing and a few assessments it appeared to have balanced and we were in the air again. The ground crew and I raced the afternoon storms into Batchelor. Grant thought it would be funny to shower me in a tiny bottle of champagne before we put Sapphy to bed and headed a few more kilometres up the road to enjoy a nice hot shower and a well deserved sleep in our own beds.

As told to Fiona Shanahan

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

49

TRAVEL

FLYING IS FOR EVERYONE – JUST ASK JANNA Mark Smith meets a young pilot who proves there are few impediments to the freedom of flight.

I

magine for a second you are a kid with a disability. Ok, you were born with it, so you don’t know anything different though you realise many things you do seem easier for able-bodied people.

Then someone takes you flying. In the air things seem simpler. The earth falls away and with it the differences in abilities. It’s as if the sky takes away the difficulties and replaces them with a freedom previously unknown.

Janna Sim has lived that reality. There are medical terms to describe her condition but to put it simply she has no legs.

What she does have is a body, arms and a mind that is filled with determination to do whatever she wants.

When she was around 13 the chance came up to enjoy a flight in a helicopter that was spraying the cane crop her family managed near Mackay. It was in the morning before school. That ride changed her life.

“We did a few simulated spray runs and that was it. As I rode in on the school bus I began researching learning to fly with hand controls. Google is a great thing.”

Seven years later that research has led

50

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

her to her pilot’s certificate, training under the expert eye of Wayne Dillon, ex MAF pilot in PNG and now owner of Pro Flight at Cunnamulla. The next step was her cross country endorsement, which is why Australian Sport Pilot met with Janna and Wayne at Ballarat airfield, a long way from central Queensland.

“The exercise was to bring Janna down to experience some weather, some terrain and some traffic, and obviously to learn to navigate,” says Wayne as the weather in Victoria causes a hold up on her navigation exercise to Warrnambool.

Janna chips in.

“The nav I’m doing is really interesting because I have my hands on the controls and I have maps, rulers and pens so that gets interesting. With a bit of practice I’ll get there.”

In the office of Aerovision at Ballarat, Janna has a WAC, old style nav computer and markers. Wayne is teaching her the traditional methods of navigation.

“People fly with electronic aids but everyone needs to know how to do things the old way,” Wayne says.

“A map doesn’t overheat, nor does its battery go flat.”

Janna is frank about her first solo.

“My first solo was terrifying! I was nervous, but it was good. I did the circuit but I was double checking everything. My solos since the have been a bit more relaxing.”

Later training once she left the confines of the circuit area also proved challenging, though almost every student pilot feels the same way.

“I found area solo even more challenging, flying 10 miles away and then re-joining the circuit.”

Wayne says Janna is his first student with a physical disability.

“Janna had done some stuff with Wheelies with Wings, and Sheldon Jones from that organisation suggested she give me a call because we had been preparing a plane, a Tecnam, so we could do some training with another disabled student. So we already had it set up and Janna became out first ‘guinea pig’ to train as a student pilot with a physical disability. Her dedication is obvious.

Photos: Mark Smith

Janna may have no legs but she does have wings

“I’ve trained lot of students over the years and I don’t normally do much training in summer because it’s just so hot, but she really had to learn to fly now or it wasn’t going to happen. At this time of year it’s rough as guts and there aren’t many students who would be out there doing as well as she does. I couldn’t be more proud of her,’ he says.

To instruct with hand controls meant Wayne also had to learn to fly with them.

“The first hour of learning to use hand controls was a bit difficult but after that I absolutely loved it. The system is absolutely brilliant.”

Apart from the challenge of learning to fly with a disability, Janna has bigger plans for using the ability to fly. As an accounting student majoring in agribusiness, along with the fact she’s lived her life on the land, she feels she’ll have the ability to use an aeroplane to fly across rural areas offering accounting advice to farmers suffering financial problems in Australia’s tough outback.“ I fly over the area I live and I can see how dry it is. Flying gives you that perspective.”

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

51

AVIATION CLASSIFIEDS

5088 FLIGHT DESIGN CTLS

850 Airframe Hours, 850 Engine Hours, CTLS 850 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: $105000 CONTACT: William Davison 0419 632 477

5225 THATCHER CX4 FOR SALE

60 Airframe Hours, nil Engine Hours, XC4 Lovely aircraft to fly. I'm just too old to get in and out of it. Has big tyres, if you like bush aircraft.

Open to genuine offers.

PRICE: $17000 CONTACT: John Edwards 0408 891 159

5268 JABIRU J250 2004

443 Airframe Hours, 443 Engine Hours, J250 Jabiru J250 2004. Solid Lifter eng. VGs, Elect Flap, Trig Mode S Txp, Area 500 GPS, Microair VHF, Area 500 GPS, All 10 Ply Tyres, Gt Touring A/C PRICE: $35000 CONTACT: William Berry 0427 997 441

5300 37 TIGERMOTH AVE, PRICE DROPPED

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

Serviced by sealed taxiways.

PRICE: Available from: $25000 CONTACT: John Ferguson 0413 990 400

5482 SKYFOX GAZELLE

5167 X-AIR 19-7965

161 Airframe Hours, 272 Engine Hours, Standard Well maintained, only used locally , 582 rotax blue head with E-Box . Oil pump ready to fit. Offers considered. Rego to Feb 2018 .

PRICE: $12000 CONTACT: Bryan Robert Fiddes Low 0414 722 740

850 Airframe Hours, nil Engine Hours, KP-5 2013 Skyleader KP5. 850 TTIS. Empty 304kgs MTOW 580kgs. Fuel 64Lt. Total Both. Cruise 105kt Stall full flaps 35kt. Electric Fowler Flaps and trim.

Very easy to fly.

PRICE: $70000 CONTACT: James Robert Rodgers 0457 054 123

5458 HANGARS HOLBROOK AIRFIELD

5164 JABIRU UL6

597 Airframe Hours, 351 Engine Hours, UL6 Jabiru UL6 (6 cyl, 3300, Camit engine, 4yo), Good Condition Extended wings. Frame: 597 hrs. approx; Engine: 351 hrs approx. Upgraded brakes, larger wheels. Climbs exceptionally well. Ideal for short take-off and landing.. Fuel: 14-15 l/hr @ 105Kn. PRICE: $29000 CONTACT: Johannes Luthy 0402 443 635

5436 AIRCRAFT 24-8373

Due to work redundancies, selling my hangar at YTEM. 2yr old 15x15x 6m high hangar on a 50 x 25m freehold block, it has unrestricted views across the entire northern side of the airport. Power, water, gas & sewer avail.

EMAIL: KRviators@bigpond.com PRICE: $170000 CONTACT: Robin Wills 0401 023 271

5335 TYRO MK 2

5189 SAVANNAH S

1418.9 Airframe Hours, 1146.2 Engine Hours, Gazelle Great aircraft with nothing to spend G/BOX overhauled. New tyres, perspex roof replaced, Upholstery recovered. New 2 blade Bolly Prop fitted 1402 hrs. Manufactured 1997 by SKYFOX AVIATION. Serial Number CA25N074. Engine is Rotax 912, 80hp. Reg Number 24-3432 (expires Oct 2019). Interior and Exterior.

PRICE: $31000 CONTACT: Brian Stott 0410 401 139

5501 AIRCRAFT 23-8806

82 Airframe Hours, 70 Engine Hours, Savannah S Savannah S.Rotax 912iS 100 HP Fuel Injected Eng.45TTIS. Factory built. No Accident. 144L Fuel.

Garmin G3X 10.6" Touch Screen & GTX23 Mode S ES Xponder.Garmin GMC305 Auto Pilot & GTR200 Radio. AOA. DUC Prop.

PRICE: $129000 ONO CONTACT: Lance Weller 0407 229 495

52

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

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. Located in South East Tasmania.

PRICE: $7500 CONTACT: Les Skinner 0438 017 256

550 Airframe Hours, 550 Engine Hours, J230D For Sale Jabiru J-230D PRICE: $88000 CONTACT: Bill Haynes 0429 054 205

5502 2014 WEDGETAIL AIRCRAFT COUGAR (FORMALLY MORGAN AEROWORKS)

5580 JABIRU J200 + 1/2 HANGER AT HECK FIELD

64 Airframe Hours, 64hrs Engine Hours, Cougar This aircraft is one of very few kit built aircraft of it's class anywhere 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 Ope PRICE: $0 CONTACT: Frankie Bailey 0468 713 545

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

5536 FOR SALE - JABIRU J230.

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 CONTACT: Graham Barrington 0400 144 282

5541 SORRELL HIPERLIGHT

108.4 Airframe Hours, 28.7 Engine Hours, SNS-8 Hiperlight. Fully rebuilt in 2017 including engine.

Recovered in Oratex UL600, new bracing wires everywhere, new wiring, new fuel system. Empty weight 110kg, MTOW 226kg. Cruises between 5060kts, 5Litre fuel tank. Strong +6 -3g. Detachable tail. Simple flying.

PRICE: $10000 CONTACT: Ruben Daniel Martin 0468 359 784

5615 POWERD PARACHUTE

60 Airframe Hours, nil Engine Hours, Home built Converted airborn edge rotax 582. Fully certified.

PRICE: $12000 CONTACT: David Snell 0414 496 696

5618 KITFOX IV CLASSIC

360 Airframe Hours, 90hrs Engine Hours, Kitfox IV Classic. No time to fly. Airframe 360hrs. Subaru EA81 100hp, Autoflight gearbox 80hrs since rebuild.

3 Blade Bolly Optima. Grove Aluminum undercarriage. 100ltrs fuel. Garmin GPS aera500.

PRICE: $24000 CONTACT: Peter 0467 091 714

5620 2004 AIRBORNE EDGE X CLASSIC TUNDRA

5630 COBRAM COBRA

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

5642 ARION LIGHTNING 3.3FI

768 Airframe Hours, 679 Engine Hours, Lightning Owner builder, FI 3.3 Jab eng powered by Haltec F10X computer. Eng never pulled down. Cruise 140kts @ 2800, 19 lts per hr. Thompson prop 61x60.

Lowrance 2000C GPS slaved to Dynon 180.ASI. Always hangared at Goolwa.

PRICE: $65000 ONO CONTACT: Steve Biele 0407 218 203

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. UNDER CONTRACT. PRICE: $595000 CONTACT: Beven C.T. Dryden 0409 771 004

5653 RANS S6ES

5569 ZENAIR 750

ZenAir750 130hrs Rotax914Turbo widebody bubledoors tundra tyres 10" Dynon Skyview 100ltr fuel Amazing short field take off.

PRICE: $95000 CONTACT: Nat Jaques 0417 073 046

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 2020.

PRICE: $8500 CONTACT: David Mudie (02) 6947 1707 / 0414 643 368

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 headsets.

PRICE: $38000 CONTACT: Peter Tapp 0403 116 690 AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

53

AVIATION CLASSIFIEDS

5665 TECNAM BRAVO P 2004 - YEAR 2005

780 Airframe Hours, 720 Engine Hours, p2004-bravo Tecnam Bravo p2004 - year 2005. Aircraft is ex-demonstrator. Have owned aircraft since 2006. airswitch and tacho meter. Hangared and maintained. Spats currently removed.

PRICE: $82500 CONTACT: John Middlemiss 0401 653 666

5672 JABIRU 170C 24-5398

5690 WYREEMA AIRFIELD HANGAR SPACE/ STORAGE

Hangar Space/Storage for light aircraft, boats, caravans. Airfield is at Wyreema appr 15 minutes south of Toowoomba QLD. Water, electricity, toilet & avgas available. Prices start from $100 per calendar month.

PRICE: $100 p/m CONTACT: Daniel King 0409 465 812

5692 SAVANNAH FOR SALE

5725 STORCH S

218 Airframe Hours, 218 Engine Hours, Storch S Price reduction - Selling As-Is, Where-Is. The Storch is the best-known of the Fly Synthesis bunch, and for very good reason. It's been around a long time, and has forged a powerful reputation within the aviation industry. It’s also proven to be one of the most influential small...

PRICE: $59000 CONTACT: Tony Sykes 0418 370 899

5726 AIRBORNE EDGE X CLASSIC

370 Airframe Hours, 370 Engine Hours, J170C For sale Due to present health issues Jabiru 170C 24-5398, aircraft hangared at Wynyard Approx 370 hours on both engine and airframe. In top condition. Maintained by John McBryde who is happy for calls 0427 757 922.

PRICE: $59500 CONTACT: John Heidenreich 0419 324 250

5680 CFM SHADOW STREAK

1600 Airframe Hours, 133 Engine Hours, Shadow Streak. HR blue head 582 electric start 3rd Engine.

133 HR bolly 3 blade prop. Nil accidents. ALL Ads performed. Rego till aug 19. VHF Radio and intercom. CHT EGT VSI Digi ALT Digi Compass. Dual Control. Still being flown.

PRICE: $12500 CONTACT: Nicholas Turner 0422 033 161

5689 JABIRU LSA 55/3J

530 Airframe Hours, 530 Engine Hours, XLW Savannah XLW,19-7608. Built 2010 140 Ltr Fuel.

No accidents. Always hangered. New windscreen March 2018. Reg Brost. Door latches front axel and fuel bowls. UHF-VHF Radio Full service report L2 Mechanic. Located Bendigo VIC. PRICE: $51000 CONTACT: Ian Shield 0409 109 244

5703 BANTAM B 22S

414 Airframe Hours, nil Engine Hours, Bantam B 22S 414 engine and airframe hours located YCAB Brolga prop, 582 Blue head motor. New skins,detailed log book and flight manual. A new motor still in crate is available, but is NOT included in this price.

PRICE: $12500 CONTACT: Kyle 0415 858 869

5721 AIRCRAFT 25-0427

511 Airframe Hours, nil Engine Hours, Edge X Airborne Edge X Classic (Reg 32-5854) in excellent condition. Well maintained, serviced and always hangered. This trike is prefect for new pilots or any pilot looking to fly without investing too much money in the sport.

PRICE: $8500 CONTACT: David Warne 0419 878 144

5730 AIRCRAFT 19-8492

85.5 Airframe Hours, 25 Engine Hours, PT-2 Protec PT2 STOL Aircraft for sale,912s 100hp.

PRICE: $40000 CONTACT: Neal Livingstone 0407 347 255

5731 JABIRU SPT-6 2170 Airframe Hours, 470 Engine Hours, LSA55/3J Easy and fun to fly. Good condition always looked after, solid, factory built aircraft. Cruises at 95-100kts, 12-13L/hr fuel burn, 65L tank. Always hangered. Upgraded from LSA55/2j in 2003. Full covers provided. All AD's up to date.

PRICE: $21000 CONTACT: Anthony Elms 0403 777 852

54

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

702.7 Airframe Hours, 21 Engine Hours, LightWing GR-912. Lightwing Rotax 912 with only 21 hours.

Private use only and always hangared. Open to genuine offers.

PRICE: $25000 CONTACT: Jeremy Douglas - Bill

78 Airframe Hours, 78 Engine Hours, SPT-6 PRICE: $45000 CONTACT: Neal Livingstone 0407 347 255

5736 BUCCANEER2 AMPHIBIOUS ULTRALIGHT FOR SALE!

Price reduced! 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: $24990 CONTACT: Evan Lizarralde 0409 660 716

5737 JABIRU J200B 19-4922

73 Airframe Hours, 73 Engine Hours, J200 B Jabiru J200 B 19-4922. Low hours TTIS 73 hrs.

Jabiru 3300 engine solid lifters. ICOM radio with David Clark headsets. Garmin 296 GPS. 2 pack paint always hangared. Excellent condition inside and out.

PRICE: $52000 CONTACT: Graham Moller 0458 785 035

hours TT, Lowrance GPS,Full maintenance upgrade completed. Always hangered. Priced for quick sale.

Inspect: Dalby Aircraft Maint, QLD (0447 262 063) $42,000 + GST. PRICE: $46200 CONTACT: Mike & Ulrike Kalthaus (07) 4655 4767

5748 SKYFOX CA21

560 Airframe Hours, 560 Engine Hours, Skyfox CA21. Skyfox CA21 1990 55-0611, factory built in Queensland, TTIS 560 hours, Aeropower 78 hp engine, two blade wooden propeller, reg to July 2019, in dash Garmin Area 660 GPS, 100 hourly completed July 2018, good clean condition inside and out, based at Bendigo, Victoria.

EMAIL: steve_broadbent@bigpond.com PRICE: $19000 CONTACT: Stephen Broadbent 0407 829 813

2164 Airframe Hours, 266 Engine Hours, J-160C Certified Aircraft – Approved for flight training Airframe 2164 hrs, Engine 266 HTR to 500 HRS when through bolt replacement required. Annual Registration paid EXP 06/19. Full service history.

Wood Prop. Located Launceston Tas. PRICE: $34000 CONTACT: Tasmanian Aero Club 0418 500 111

5775 VANS RV4

5751 TECNAM P92-2000RG

5738 ZENITH CH701. STOL ULTRA LIGHT

317 Airframe Hours, 317 Engine Hours, Zenith CH701 STOL. Ultralight Aircraft. 100 HP Rotax engine, 317

5763 JABIRU 24-4681 J-160C

708 Airframe Hours, 708 Engine Hours, P922000RG. Tecnam P92-2000RG. 2006 model 707 hours since new, Rotax 912 ULS, retractable undercarriage, new leather seats, Trio Ezypilot A/P coupled to Garmin 195 GPS, Microair Transponder, Icom A200 VHF. PRICE: $79000 CONTACT: Merv Hargraves 0429 003 112

1133.00 Airframe Hours, nil Engine Hours, RV4 Vans RV4 1990. New tires, tubes,brake pads,air filter. EDM engine Management System. 50 litre aux fuel tank 160kts+GT50 Flight timer, clock G metre, volt Metre. EDM engine Management System.

Icom A200 Radio. Bendix King KT76 Transponder.

Garmin 196.

PRICE: $60000 CONTACT: Jim Murphy 0428 738 666

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

Australian Agent: Peter Mob 0408 376 540 AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

55

AVIATION CLASSIFIEDS

5779 STORCH BY FLY SYNTHESIS

1000 Airframe Hours, Zero Hours Engine Hours, Fly Synthesis. Re-engined with Mercedes Smart car engine. TT Zero hours. Comes in a roadworthy, registered tandem axle enclosed trailer. The wings fold and the whole aircraft can be loaded into the trailer by one person.

PRICE: $52000 CONTACT: Frank Shrenk

5792 BRAND NEW UNRUN ROTEC R3600 150 HP RADIAL ENGINE FOR SALE.

BRAND NEW Rotec R3600 150 hp radial engine for sale. Delivered 2017. (Box opened for photos only).

Inspect Caboolture airfield, or more photos can be sent. Will arrange delivery anywhere in Oz or O/ seas at cost.

PRICE: $24500 CONTACT: John Hitzke 0428 883 311

5797 WALLABY FLY SYNTHESIS 582

50 Airframe Hours, 50 Engine Hours, Wallaby Factory built Wallaby powered by Rotax 582 in as new Condition, genuine 50 hours TT and impeccable condition, suitable for training with dual pedals and controls. Comes with parachute and tundra tires. A great composite aircraft worth over $55K new.

PRICE: $39500 CONTACT: Caz Monteleone 0404 897 452

5801 SONEX TRI-GEAR

5793 SAVANNAH S

5783 SKYFOX CA21 AND TRAILER

847.8 Airframe Hours, 325.8 Engine Hours, CA21 CA 21 TAILDRAGGER with recent new rotax 80HP fitted. Engine only done 325.8 hours. Airframe only 847.8 hrs. The trailer was custom made for this aircraft and has electric winch and internal lighting etc. Happy to deliver.

PRICE: $42000 CONTACT: Brian Stott 0410 401 139

5790 AEROCHUTE 503

540 Airframe Hours, 540 Engine Hours, Savannah S Rotax 912ULS, Bolly Prop, Factory Built, Dynon EFIS,Mode, S T/ponder, 2X flip/flop VHF radios.

GPS 24 Reg. Low hours. Strobes, Nav/Land Lites.

Full details at john.groth1@bigpond.com EMAIL: john.groth1@bigpond.com PRICE: $73000 CONTACT: John Groth (07) 4973 9391

5794 STORCH HS FLY SYNTHESIS AIRCRAFT 24-4258

205.0 Airframe Hours, 205 Engine Hours, Storch HS Factory built Storch HS, over 500 built and flying this amazing and safe aircraft is used for training in many parts of the world. Has docile flying and landing characteristics yet will cruise around 90 knots for some decent cross counrty trips.

PRICE: $59000 CONTACT: Caz Monteleone 0404 897 452

5795 WALLABY FLY SYNTHESIS WITH 503 ROTAX ENGINE

80 Airframe Hours, 80 Engine Hours, 503 Aerochute 503 with wide top plate, 74" new Bolly prop, electric start, New high powered battery, Extended front plate for extra comfort. Flys like a dream. Comes with purpose built trailer with easy loading and unloading of your Aerochute.

PRICE: $12000 CONTACT: Graham Wright

56

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

12.2 Airframe Hours, 12.2 Engine Hours, Wallaby Built from Factory Kit by the Importer this two place aircraft looks and flies like new, Fitted with 503 Rotax electric start engine and only 13 hours TT. STOL characteristics, includes wing folding system. Selling as retiring from aviation business.

PRICE: $32000 CONTACT: Caz Monteleone 0404 897 452

130 Airframe Hours, 130 Engine Hours, Sonex TriGear. Sonex Tri-Gear 19-8656, 130 hours, Aerovee 80 HP, MGL EFIS & V6 VHF radio & ASI. Built by the Sport Aircraft Club of South Australia to give members hands on building experience. Project details- sportaircraft.org.au and click on the Sonex picture.

PRICE: $37500 CONTACT: Chris Moore 0411 196 232

5809 BARN FIND - AUSFLIGHT DRIFTER CERTIFIED TRAINER AIRCRAFT

536 Airframe Hours, 37.3 Engine Hours, Drifter Certified trainer aircraft - Full dual controls - Extra fuel tank - Cabin pull-start - 536 Airframe hours - 503 Rotax - 37.3 Engine hours - 3-Blade Brolga prop - De-registered in 2012 - Will require new skins.

PRICE: $7500 CONTACT: Jamie Franks

5820 JABIRU SP19-3944

1420 Airframe Hours, 431 HRS Engine Hours, SP One of the last SP models. New large panel, Tru trak auto pilot Fuel tank camera, CHT gauge all cylinders, Keyed ignition switch, landing light, Cummins spinner, Camit alternator, 85 Lt fuel tank.

500 kg MTOW. REDUCED FOR QUICK SALE. PRICE: $30500 CONTACT: Bill 0423 714 115

5825 THRUSTER TST

5838 REDUCED BOLLY PROPELLER BLADES ONLY

barrier upgraded door latch Xcom vhf uhf tundra tyres upgrade to 600 kgs owner reluctanly given up flying.

PRICE: $72500 CONTACT: James Jardine 0264546210/0408167863

5850 AEROCHUTE FOR SALE 1355 Airframe Hours, 35 Engine Hours, TST I would like to advertise on Sport Pilot.

PRICE: $12600 CONTACT: Brock Owen

5827 SYNDICATE SHARE A32 VIXXEN AT CABOOLTURE

600 Airframe Hours, 600 Engine Hours, A32 Vixxen A share is available to a suitably experienced pilot. Long running syndicate based at Caboolture Queensland. Has full Dynon avionics including autopilot. Professionally maintained. Contact secretary Ian McDonell 07 3886 5828 PRICE: $9000 CONTACT: Ian McDonell (07) 3886 5828

BOS 372X60SR. Bought as an upgrade but has never happened. Please PRICE: $950 + Postage CONTACT: Jerzy Calka/George 0427 490 442

26 Airframe Hours, 26 Engine Hours, Dual Aerochute and trailer for sale registered. Located Sunshine Vic. PRICE: $7000 Frank Jansen 0417 114 782

5851 STEELBREEZE POWERED PARACHUTE

5842 JABIRU FOR SALE

347 Airframe Hours, 347 Engine Hours, J160 Jabiru J160. 347 engine & airframe hrs, Sensenich ground adj prop. 2 spare blades & angle adj meter.

Flys hands off , 65lt wing tanks. Satalite airmaps built into panel, microair & intercom 2 headsets. + extras.

PRICE: $45000 CONTACT: Brad Salter 0417 385 250

49 Airframe Hours, 49 Engine Hours, Steelbreeze 12 months rego. 49 hours TTIS. Both Mustang S500 box canopy and Thunderbolt E340 elliptical canopy. Tundra tyres, dual throttle and foot steering. 50 litre fuel tank. 582 Rotax engine wth Type E gearbox. Great lifting capacity. As new condition.

PRICE: $21000 CONTACT: Brett Pearson 0417 986 269

5846 FOX BAT A22SL

5852 AEROCHUTE 503

5833 MCR SPORTSTER FOR SALE

244.5 Airframe Hours, 337.4 Engine Hours, Sportster. Rotax 912 100hp. Cruise-150 kts. Stall 45 kts.

Rate of Climb-1750 fpm. Total Flight Hours 243.5.

Current 100 hourly, Always Hangared @ YBNS,no incidents. All Glass Cockpit. 3 axis Auto Pilot.

EMAIL: rbarlee@gmail.com PRICE: $95000 CONTACT: Roger Barlee 0438 519 922

98 Airframe Hours, 98 Engine Hours, A22sl 2016 foxbata22sl rego 24-8624 as new condition always hungered 95hrs all maintenance up to date no damage. Funkwerk ATR833 radio. Garmin 695 gps air gismo mount. Wheel spats PRICE: $99500 CONTACT: Brian Willis 0404 487 503

5848 SENSENICH PROP FOR SALE

5854 JABIRU J120-C

5837 AIRCRAFT 32-7042

Propeller sensenich w160.hj44 ah4559 PRICE: $650 CONTACT: David Snell (+6) 1414 496 696

5849 SAVANNAH

97.6 Airframe Hours, 97.6 Engine Hours, Outback Airborne Outback trike in excellent condition only 98hrs and always hangered.

PRICE: $17000 CONTACT: Richard Perrett 0407 454 809

141 Airframe Hours, 141 Engine Hours, Aerochute Dual 503. Powered Parachute PRICE: $10500 CONTACT: Brett Pearson 0417 986 269

70 Airframe Hours, 70 Engine Hours, Savannah XL Savannah XL 70 hrs airframe 70 hrs engine luggage

470.0 Airframe Hours, 470.0 Engine Hours, J120-C Jabiru j120-c. First registered: December 2010..

Total time engine&airframe:470.0hrs. Engine model: 2200B. 65 liter fuel tank behind seat.

Pumpkin head canvas propeller and cabin cover.

Brand new composite propeller. Refurbished original timber propeller with spinner, bubble rapped in box. Wheel spats for nose wheel and main wheels. 2x Jabiru.

PRICE: $44000 CONTACT: Zackary Dingle 0455 731 564 AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

57

AVIATION CLASSIFIEDS

5855 JABIRU SP FOR SALE

5861 ARION LIGHTNING 2011

A

G

755 Airframe Hours, 374 Engine Hours, SP Jabiru Aircraft SP 19-3253 For Sale.

PRICE: $34500 CONTACT: James Robert Rodgers 0457 054 123

5858 JABIRU SP500

H n al

250 Airframe Hours, 30 Engine Hours, Lightning Built 2011 in US with factory assist programme.

Dynon Skyview Avionics with two 7 inch screens, Autopilot, Mode S transponder and moving map GPS. Garmin SL 40 radio.

PRICE: $75000 CONTACT: Geoffrey Eather 0405 181 122

he yo

0413 374 680

5862 JODEL D11

E

383 Airframe Hours, 383 Engine Hours, SP500 Jabiru SP500.19-4972. TT383. Solid lifter 3.3 lt with fine finned heads. Top end overhaul @354 hrs.

12 channel EGT & CHT monitor, AFR gauge, Fuel flow meter, GPS, I-phone cradle. 120 knot cruise.

Ceramic coated exhaust. 3 Blade adjustable Bolly prop.

PRICE: $50000 CONTACT: Stephen Hancock 0400 722 035

58

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

1375 Airframe Hours, 1375 Engine Hours, Jodel D11 Commissioned by master craftsman in 1979, and lovingly looked after. Wood and fabric construction.

Always hangared. Currently VH registered, can be RAAus. Com11a VHF, Garmin GPS. Last flew January (requires inspection). Overall condition very good.

PRICE: $20990 CONTACT: John McBryde 0427 757 922

F fu r

Graemeswam@gmail.com 0413 374 680

Stacked_804C

HorsHam aviation services ABN: 65 007 339 451

Now Importing the eurofox AircrAft: • • • •

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

And Dynon Avionics Products:

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

SAFETY STRENGTH SIZE Stacked_803C

BRUMBY 610 LSA - HIGH WING IN STOCK NOW!

BRUMBY AIRCRAFT AUSTRALIA TEL: +61 2 6341 1635 | FAX: +61 2 6341 1636 | E: info@brumbyaircraft.com.au | www.brumbyaircraft.com.au TL Stream Tandem Seat

TL Sting S4 Low Wing

TL3000 Sirius High Wing

• Carbon Fiber Quality • 25 Years Aircraft Manufacturing TL-Ultralight Australia Pty. Ltd. John 0408 529 838 or john@tl-ultralight.com.au or Gerard 0439 541 911

tl-ultralight.com.au

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

59

AVIATION CLASSIFIEDS

5863 AIRPARK STUDIO FOR RENT WITH HANGAR SPACE

5878 ZLIN SAVAGE SHOCK CUB AIRCRAFT FOR SALE

Comfy, self contained studio in a hangar with space for your RAAus size aircraft. Temora airpark NSW. Easy access to taxi way. Air con, gas stove and HWS, insulated. See more in the classifieds online.

Asking $240 week, incl gas, power and water.

PRICE: $240 p/w CONTACT: Michael Bruce Holloway 0402 935 017

90 Airframe Hours, 90 Engine Hours, Shock Cub $150,000 (inc. GST) AUD (approx. $108,000 USD) - will assist with export/import. Rotax 100 HP 912 ULS - 90 TTSN. Factory Built registered S-LSA. TK1 Shock Monster & tailwheel. 26" Alaskan Bush Wheels. Dual Caliper Beringer Brakes & park brake.

Immaculate logbooks & maintenance. DUC Helices Flash 3 blade ground adjustable prop. Long range fuel tanks (105L capacity) PRICE: $150000 CONTACT: Damien Soward 0412 578 693

5865 MICRO AVIATION - BAT HAWK

5888 AIRBORNE OUTBACK

65 Airframe Hours, 65 Engine Hours, XT582 CRUZE AIRBORNE OUTBACK TRIKE LOW HOURS. GREAT CONDITION. PRICE: $22000 CONTACT: Kenneth Jelleff 0412 512 457

5890 AIRBORNE T-LITE

5881 DRIFTER AUST FLIGHT

80 hours TTSN Airframe Hours, 80 hours TTSN Engine Hours, Bat Hawk The Bat Hawk is widely used as a surveillance and anti-poaching platform. It is manufactured to comply with the ASTM2245 Build Rules as well as South African Civil Aviation Type Approval. This is a true 'bush aircraft', easy to fly and cheap to run PRICE: $39500 CONTACT: Johannes Gouws 0448 019 980

5871 BREEZY

3300 Airframe Hours, 323 Engine Hours, Drifter WB Drifter Aust Flight 25-0415 Wire Brace 582 Blue Head, extensive refurbishment last 3 years, usual instruments, icom radio intercom, GA plugs, Bolly props (3) certified, Ceonite 2pack, Tail and Ailerons, Flys well registered Nov 2019.

PRICE: $17990 CONTACT: MARK WATERFORD 0418 114 546

5882 AIRCRAFT 32-6274

420 Airframe Hours, 420 Engine Hours, Breezy BREEZY, Mint condition, always hangared, Comes with new annual. 1580 hours to run on 0200 100H/P engine. 9/10 overall condition. Great fun to fly.

PRICE: $22000 John Kokshoorn 0418 727 575

289.5 Airframe Hours, 313.9 Engine Hours, Edge XT 912. Airborne Edge XT 912 Tundra Trike. Tundra upgrade and new Cruze wing by Airborne factory 2014.

PRICE: $25000 CONTACT: Kim Jonathan Bannan 0498 227 452

5874 JABIRU J170C

5886 SKYFOX CA22

112 Airframe Hours, 112 Engine Hours, T-Lite - Core 154 wing - Polini 190 electric and pull start - 112hrs (still flying) - 100hr service completed in Nov 17 - Bi-Annual maintenance check completed in Feb 18 and trike received new tyres and battery Registered with HGFA until Feb 2020.

PRICE: $12500 CONTACT: Andrew Luton

AVIATION INSURANCE EXPERIENCED AVIATION INSURANCE SPECIALISTS

Stewart Smith, Gladys Smith, and Grant Cerni would like to assist with your Fixed Wing, Helicopter, Hangarkeepers, and Public Liability needs. Grant can also quote you on all other types of business & personal insurance. Our team is friendly & helpful to deal with, and we obtain for you multiple competitive quotes from all suitable insurers.

We service clients in all parts of Australia!

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Phone: 03 9816 3264 Email: aviation@insureplanes.com.au Web: www.insureplanes.com.au Stewart Smith 0433 278 700 Gladys Smith 0425 759 322 Grant Cerni 0427 779 649

AVIATION FINANCE

620 Airframe Hours, 620 Engine Hours, J170C Factory Built 2008. Meticulously maintained. Good compressions on all cylinders and no defects. A fantastic aircraft to fly. Graeme 0497425358 https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=09BU0mjQ-Q8 PRICE: $56000 CONTACT: Graeme Wishart 0497 425 358

60

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

1590 Airframe Hours, 590 Engine Hours, CA 22 Great aircraft in great condition. Always Hangered All ADs done. Comes with folding wings and a trailer. Flys well and is well sorted. No money to spend after purchase. Email only between Feb 15th and March 7th.

PRICE: $32500 CONTACT: Gary Griffin 0419 619 191

Australian Commercial Credit Pty Ltd in Finance Pty Ltd may be able to assist with rates, normally over 5 years with security over only the plane.

Ring Stewart Smith for an obligation free initial discussion.

WE’RE ON YOUR SIDE

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Sport aircraft sales

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Cessna 150L (24 Reg)

Jabiru J-430 (2010)

Zenith 601XLB (2011)

Vans RV-8A (2010)

Airframe / Eng. TT 6737 / 120TR MTOW 728kg (600kg current)

Airframe / Eng. TT820 / 10 (new!)

760KG MTOW, New Jab. 3300 Gen 4

Airframe / Eng. TT 138 / 138 Ground adj. 3 blade, Garmin 296 GPS

Airframe / Eng. TT98.3 / 98.3 GPS, A/P, Superior XP360, Hartzell

GREAT BUYING!

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$49,900

CSU, 2 x Dynon, Dual controls

$140,000

Some other aircraft for sale: Glasair III Super Turbo, Only one in Australia, new prop, 600hrs TTSN $215,000, Australian Lightwing SP2000, 80TT 24 Registered Rotax 912ULS fresh Annual & SB’s $69,900, X-Air Standard 90TT $21,500, Micro Aviation Bathawk MGL 90TT XPonder $39,500, Tecnam P92-200 RG 24-Reg 1250TT Rotax 912ULS (250hrs since new) $76,500, Jabiru J-200B (award-winning) 19-Reg Jabiru 3300 Solid Lifter 452TT $59,900, Jabiru 120C 24-reg TT1050 Engine rebuit 180hrs ago $29,900... and more!

Contact Nicholas Christie for a confidential, no obligation discussion

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

61

FEATURE

MILESTONES Bill Taylor 15, has achieved

his first solo with Alpine Aviation Australia at Jindabyne. He has been working towards his Bronze level in the Duke of Edinburgh awards and first solo meets one of the major targets in this process.

Bill has been grinning ever since the event in early February.

“After a few circuits with Martin (AAA instructor Martin Hughes) we landed and he told me that I was ready to go solo. Martin stepped out the plane and down to the end of the runway I went. I lined up the plane at the end of the runway and before I knew it I was away. The circuit went by in a flash and when I finally landed it felt great. After many hours of flying training I had finally completed my first major achievement.”

He’s now working towards his pilot's certificate

Presley Johanson is a 15 year old believed to be the youngest solo pilot in Australia, achieved on the morning of her 15th birthday, 19th January 2019 at Lethbridge Airport. The flight occurred at exactly the time she was born.

Presley, who was attending an RAAF Air Cadets corporal’s course at Puckapunyal, was picked up by her parents early that morning, and taken to Mangalore Airport, where Geoff, a Lethbridge pilot, flew her and her parents back to Lethbridge to attempt her first solo flight.

An almost perfect circuit achieved, with a 9.5/10 landing. They celebrated the event with a birthday cake in the aero club rooms.

Later that morning, Geoff flew proud parents and Presley back to Mangalore to resume her cadet training. Incidentally, Presley topped her graduating group the day afterwards.

62

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

Jim Orr

Moree Aero Club had another student pilot, Jim Orr, take the next step on his aviation journey by passing his flight test for the RPC on February 3, carrying out some demanding tasks in hot and windy conditions, the prevailing weather throughout January/ February.

Jim can now take passengers for a ride, and he says the first will be his father David.

He returns to University at Newcastle mid-February to continue the second year of his architecture and will start his navigation course at Easter, during the term break.

Chief Flying Instructor Fred Nolan said: “Jim applies himself exceptionally well to the pilot role. He will excel at the navigation side of it.

“During the six-week period between late December and early February, Jim experienced some of the worst flying weather, with high temperatures, strong winds and turbulence. It is a credit to him to cope with these extreme conditions and is a better pilot because of it”.

Caboolture’s Strike Aviation Training has turned out two more first milestones.

Jess Stevens

passed her Recreational Pilot Certificate with instructor Ed Herring from Goolwa Recreational Flying School.

After the test was finsished she was ready to celebrate.

“I’ve never purchased a bottle of Moët for myself before though I think today is a good day for it. I’m now a pilot! Thank you Ed Herring and my wonderful husband Drew."

Gregory Moczynski achieved his first solo flying in a Texan 550 and Jim Vella (below) enjoyed converting his RPL to an RAAus Pilot certificate in the P92 Echo from Tecnam.

JIM VELLA Great Work!

ROBERT SMITH flying a TOPAZ has completed his first solo flight with Airsports Flying School at picturesque Riddell’s Creek Airfield.

“Bloody marvellous” was Roberts comment on arriving back safely after his first circuit. Congratulated by his wife Nicola, Robert is looking forward to completing his pilot's certificate.

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

63

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64

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

RAAUS AVIATION CLASSIFIEDS – SIMPLE AND AFFORDABLE

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

65

COLUMN

FINAL APPROACH A FEW MONTHS INTO ANOTHER BIG YEAR This promises to be a big year for RAAus, with the final moves toward our long awaited weight limit increase, coupled with our steadily growing membership.

I

n some ways Australia led the world with a self-certifying medical model that evolved from the Australian Ultralight Federation.

I also believe as more advanced aeroplanes like the Jabiru and Lightwing started filtering into the skies, flying under the AUFbanner, the regulator was thankfully caught off guard. Does this mean our medical standard a happy accident? I don’t know though I like to enjoy any common sense approach to an issue from a bureaucracy as a win either way.

CASA have shown they don’t want to administer recreational aviation which is why bodies like RAAus, the Gliding Federation and Sport Rotorcraft have the job of licencing, detailing maintenance standards, supervising medicals and keeping registration records. CASA handle most of this for private GA with very little upfront cost to pilots though in the end the taxpayer foots the bill, with the costs associated with regulation and surveillance for private GA pretty well hidden in the wider costs of commercial GA. I hear a lot of pilots tell me they don’t like paying for their RAAus pilot certificate and registration of their aircraft since in the GA system owners of VH aircraft don’t have to pay such fees. That’s correct. I own a VH aircraft and strictly speaking I don’t pay a cent directly to CASA to keep it on the register. I do pay for a very experienced LAME to keep it airworthy so it can remain on the register and the ongoing costs of that are making

66

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

me think more and more about selling my beloved Musketeer.

It’s the same with medicals. If you are lucky enough to be fit and healthy your class 2 doesn’t cost a fortune, and of course your licence is perpetual. But again you are still in the GA sphere and paying for the umbrella of CASA via every hour you fly, be it in your own aircraft or when you hire one. Same with learning to fly. The compliance costs for the CASA part 141/142 system are huge, which adds to the per hour price of both the instructor and the aircraft.

So what am I getting at?

If you have an issue paying for the privilege to fly with RAAus you need to compare apples with apples and ask yourself a simple question. Would CASA give us the freedoms we enjoy if they administered recreational aviation? My opinion is never!

Avmed have repeatedly thwarted any attempt at a self-certifying model like we enjoy in RAAus. The current ‘basic med’ still excludes any pilot who has had one of a number of medical issues and forces them into the Avmed system. This was despite numerous submissions from the industry to create a self-certifying model like NZ enjoys, with a GP having the only say in the certification of a pilot applying for their basic med certificate.

It’s the same with maintenance.

We can look after our aeroplanes after completing the L1 course, or enjoy the

services of a more experienced Level 2 for far less than a CASA LAME charges.

Would CASA allow Level 2 maintainers?

Again I really doubt it. Would they allow the flying training structure we have which has far fewer fees and administrative burdens than a GA school?

I believe the reason CASA are happy to build self-administration groups is because they simply don’t have the budget, and now the knowhow, to administer recreational aviation groups. If they decided to take it over, or scarily, were forced into a corner into taking it on, I guarantee they’d start charging for their services given there isn’t a lot of crossover and therefore potential for mixed funding, with traditional GA. They admit their budget is already stretched to breaking point performing their current role.

760kg will open up a whole new world of flying opportunities, both in the training sphere and in the ability of pilots who own airframes that come into that weight category, who may be having medical fights with CASA and want to keep flying the aeroplane they’ve owned for years.

It has been a long time coming but let’s hope 2019 brings this much needed advance in our area of operations. Like I said, these are exciting times.

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M NTU O E M MO R / CE T O AER SIGNE SA) A !

T E DE ING (U 2019 ME ER ALON T T AV KE RK EN16, A M ND STA

WHY CHOOSE AN AEROMOMENTUM AIRCRAFT ENGINE? Reliable, new Suzuki / OEM block & head & components Available in upright or low profile to fit your sport aircraft Sequential Electronic fuel injection (EFI) with knock sensor 20,000 hour rated Bosch FADEC engine control system (ECU)

Your choice of 1.0ltr (75HP), 1.3ltr (100 / 112HP), 1.5ltr (117 / 131HP), 2.0ltr Turbo (260HP) Affordable pricing compared with big brands, efficient fuel burn & superior HP / weight

PRICES FROM AUD $10,921 (1.0ltr 75HP) to $27,678 (2.0ltr Turbo) *

$USD

Do you have questions?

Phone us 03 9531 1018

www.manaerospace.com.au *Actual listed price as at February 2019. Ex GST & shipping .

AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019

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AUSTRALIAN SPORT PILOT | March 2019