Innehållsförteckning för November-December 2024 från Australian Flying

A welcome increase in the number of licensed aircraft maintenance engineers (LAMEs) entering the workforce in 2023-24 saw CASA issue 292 licences. That was 150% higher than the 117 licences issued in 2021-22 and 128% higher than the 128 issued in 2022-23. “We’ll be watching this financial year’s figures to see if the turnaround is ongoing but there’s hope these figures mark a return to the pre-COVID upward trend in licence numbers,” said CASA in a media release. The 2023-24 increase includes a healthy mix of domestic and foreign applicants, including New Zealanders taking advantage of access to Australia under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act (TTMRA). Of the 292 LAMEs, 128 were foreign conversions and 30 were converted under the TTRMA. This is a big increase on 2022-23, when the…

My partner’s family have a beachhouse near Moruya, so when he announced a short break for my birthday, I jumped at the opportunity to make the trip about flying. My in-built radar for towns with airstrips pinged and I remembered an unscheduled landing at Moruya, years ago, when a door popped open mid-flight. A quick Google of schools in the area led me to Merit Aviation. As a believer that one can tell a lot about a flying school by their website, I was impressed by Merit’s: simple, but well laid out, with a clear structure on learning to fly. Their aircraft information and price list were clearly displayed, and the website had a feeling of a small school with a lot of enthusiasm. I filled out the contact form…

Luxury, it has been said, is anything that feels special. It could be a lounge chair, a bar of soap, a silky dress or a prestige car. Or, it could be an aeroplane … some of those are very special. That’s nothing new to aviation; luxury aircraft have been around for years, usually powered by turbofan engines and proudly engraved with names like Citation, Dassault, Embraer and Global Express. But general aviation aircraft, by tradition, have been more Spartan on the inside, embracing practicality over prestige and function over feel. That began to change in the 1990s, when Cessna added flair as they restarted production of their piston singles, and Cirrus introduced the SR range. Aircraft owners began to believe that luxury wasn’t the exclusive right of the jet-setters. The…

Not only is the new flagship aircraft stunning to look at, but its specs are so good that preceding Gulfstream bizjets in the OEM’s large cabin/ultralong-range line-up trail behind it - and that’s saying something considering some of them were class leaders in their day, They’re still impressive, undeniably - but the G700 is something else again. Basically, the stunning large business jet could best be described as a standalone machine in the company’s long and distinguished career as a highly regarded and well renowned maker of class leading executive jets, something it’s being doing for close to six decades now. In fact, all business jets that have rolled of Gulfstream’s assembly lines have been noted for their technological sophistication, passenger comfort, and just downright good looks – a winning…

There’s a conundrum alive in Australian aviation that if left unanswered threatens to eat away at our future. We’ve heard for years there is a critical shortage of skilled aviation people – pilots, engineers, air traffic controllers and others. Projections are that the Asia-Pacific region will need more than 20,000 new pilots over the next five years, and the major aircraft manufacturers predict hundreds of thousands new pilots will be needed globally over the next 20 years. Yet events, as well as sometimes commentary from people in the Australian aviation industry, can send dangerously different messages to the very people who will be critical in meeting this demand for skilled professionals. Two events this year, the collapse of Bonza and the appointment of administrators for Rex, have contributed to a…

Whilst the 2024 Aviation White Paper was still under construction, it gave the department carte blanche to defer answering questions, instructing inquirers to “wait for the white paper”. In doing that, it loaded an extra obligation on the department: that the white paper would actually address the deflected issues. Unfortunately, when it was published in late August this year, the white paper made it clear that the Federal Government had decided against fulfilling that obligation. This is no way an accusation that the minister and department have ignored the needs of general aviation; in fact, the text acknowledges many of the challenges that GA has been struggling with for many years. That shows they’ve listened, but also that they have turned their heads away. Instead, the white paper focuses more…

The Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA) is the peak body representing independent skills training, higher education, and international education providers. ITECA has approached the minister for transport, Catherine King, concerning the impacts on the Australian Government’s approach to international education and is impacting the aviation sector’s workforce, particularly the training of pilots. “The ITECA membership includes several aviation schools that are critical in delivering pilot training, particularly to international students,” said CEO Troy Williams. “These schools provide essential training for pilot certification and deliver this to international students who often return to their home countries to work in overseas airlines and in many cases, pursue careers with Australian airlines. “It has come to our attention that the introduction of international student caps in 2025 through the Education Services for…

There are old pilots and bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots An oldie but a goodie, and the most valuable of all aviation sayings, this one is sometimes written on the inside cover of logbooks gifted to new pilots. My father drilled this into me early on, and it stayed with me. The Quote Investigator website says, “The earliest instance in this family of expressions appeared in Safety Education: A Magazine of the Good Adventure, in May 1931. Dorothy Verrill wrote about her experiences learning to fly and ascribed the saying to her flight instructor, LieutenantCharlesL. Wright.” CFI at the Bendigo Flying Club (BFC), Linda Beilharz, who instructs on both light sport and certified aircraft, says BFC has its own version of the saying, being, “Don’t fly too near the…

The term “region of reverse command” sounds something akin to the Twilight Zone or even Superman’s Bizarro World, but in reality it is a phenomenon that describes a specific state of flight. Not well understood, it is often known by its alter-ego term: the back side of the power curve. A power curve is a chart that plots the power needed in an aeroplane to sustain straightand-level flight against the power available to do so. Although it may not be something you need to keep in the cockpit with you, understanding how it works will expand your knowledge of flight, and maybe even explain some things that have bewildered you in the past. Even the term “power”–in this context–may not be what you think it is. No, it is not…

Flight Store Gift Ideas Queensland-based Flight Store has long been a go-to for pilots shopping for headsets, books and uniforms. The store also offers a wide range of gifts for pilots, ranging from flight bags, luggage tags, iPad mounts and apparel. The store stocks a wide range of knee-boards, USB chargers, pilot wings and epaulettes – perfect for the difficultto-buy-for pilot in the family. Located at Unit 7/52 Blanck St Ormeau Queensland, 4208, Flight Store pilot shop is fully stocked with everything advertised online. For more information: www.flightstore.com.au/gifts/other-gift-ideas/ The Secret Life of Flying by Jeremy Burfoot ​With more than 35 years of airline experience, the former Qantas pilot presents an Airbus-load of stories about unruly passengers and cockpit clashes, and expertly navigates the bizarre myths surrounding everyday air travel. He…

This short article is based around the age old mystery of just exactly why do we dress pilots and instructors up to look like pursors on The Love Boat? Oh look, a crisp, white polyester shirt, with pretty little faux Merchant Navy epaulettes! We have ranks, so a grade two flying instructor can wear three stripes, not like one of those peasants who only have a grade three and just the two stripes! The CFI or the HOO, or whatever CASA has told us we have to call our staff, gets four stripes. Isn’t that nice. Joe Public who walks in to a flying school for the first time sees all these different stripes and is IMPRESSED. Yeah, right … Maybe in the 1950’s. AvWeb* nailed it, parody is the…

CASA is seeking feedback on their proposal to allow approved self-administering aviation organisations (ASAOs) to authorise their pilots to operate in controlled airspace and at controlled aerodromes. The proposed policy would allow authorised sport and recreational pilots to operate in controlled airspace and at controlled aerodromes provided that: • the pilot is equivalently competent to contextually relevant standards in the Part 61 Manual of Standards (MOS) • the aircraft is equipped to contextually relevant Part 91 standards and requirements. ASAOs choosing to take advantage of the proposed policy would be required to amend their expositions and demonstrate to CASA how they will use the expanded administrative function. CASA will provide guidance and support to ASAOs. CASA proposes to amend Civil Aviation Order (CAO) 95.55 to permit relevant sport and recreational…

To loyal readers of Australian Flying, the word ‘airshow’ evokes the memory of long drives to hot dusty airfields, sunburn, dehydration, kilometre-long treks to check out the static displays and find the best position to capture the take-offs, lots of aviation action and noise, the queue for the toilets, the long march to the carpark, and traffic jams inching their way to the freeway. To the die-hard aviation nut, the aviation action in the middle part of the ordeal is well worth the dirt, sunburn, urinary tract infection and lost property. Seriously, it is. It turns out there’s another type of show that features most of the middle-bit aviation action, but appeals to pretty much everyone in the community. The Pacific Airshow on the Gold Coast in August proved this…

George Orwell coined the term “Big Brother” in his 1949 classic Nineteen Eighty Four. It tells of a dictator that practices omnipresent government surveillance. Since then, the term has been both used and misused across many applications to generate a fear of being watched. One of the misused applications is controlled airspace, conjuring ideas of faceless government operatives scanning green-lit radar screens in order to detect and log pilot transgressions. With recreational pilots on the cusp of being granted access to Class C and D airspace, some myths–like the “Big Brother” absurdity–need to be exploded to ensure pilots recognise controlled airspace for what it really is: a weapon for safely navigating areas of high traffic density. Air Traffic Control (ATC) enables, helps and guides, but is effective only if pilots…

I worm my way up to the front – it’s sort of allowed because I know the driver. I’ll call him Farnie because if I tell you his real name he will have me cost-rated – I think that’s the term he used. The cockpit is scary. It’s as if you are about to swing a leg over your Harley when you spring back in horror. Some nut has replaced the round clocks with TV screens, turned all the switches upside-down and, worst of all, stolen the handlebars. There’s nothing to hang on to. We are climbing out at an impressive angle into a crystal blue sky. I am much puzzled by many things in the cockpit, but the ones that have really grabbed my attention are the thrust levers,…

NSW RFS announces new HUMS for Blackhawks The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) through GPMS International that Foresight MX system, which is the companies aerial firefighting’s leading HUMS solution, has been selected by the NSW RFS for their ex Australian Army Black Hawks which are under conversion for the service. The Foresight MX fitted to the Black Hawks will see a benefit from predictive aircraft and engine health monitoring, flight data monitoring (FDM), exceedance monitoring, and integrated Rotor Track and Balance. The two Blackhawks, which are still undergoing conversion and modification for the NSW RFS, will become an addition tool for the service, which already operates a fleet of AS350 and Bell 412s. A spokesperson for the RFS said that the service places a high priority on…

Aircraft Registration: ZU-FVW Owner/Operator: Madiba Bay School of Flight Date of Accident: 12 August 2014 Time of Accident: 0955Z Type of Aircraft: Sling 2 Aeroplane Type of Operation: Private PIC License: Private Age and nationality: 28 Angolan License Valid: Yes Type: Private pilot license PIC hrs on Type: 124.3 Total hrs: 168.3 Point of departure: Port Elizabeth (FAPE) Intended landing: Tedderfield (FATA) Accident Location: Farm (S32°50.45.0´ E025°48.25.0´) Elevation: 1782’ AMSL Met: CAVOK People on board: 1+1 People injured: 0 People killed: 0 HISTORY OF FLIGHT The pilot and passenger took off from Port Elizabeth on an hour-building, VMC, private flight to Tedderfield just South of Johannesburg. The pilot went through the aircraft’s technical documentation and then performed a thorough preflight inspection. After approximately one and half hour’s flying at FL…