Schofields Flying Club Ltd - 60 Birch Street Bankstown Airport 2200
(PO Box 200, Georges Hall, NSW 2198 AUSTRALIA)
Phone: +61 2 9709 8488 Email: mail@schofields-flying-club.com.au
Welcome to the May 2010 edition of Schofields News. There are a few of the usual plus some new features -
President's Notes by John Young,
Ask the CFI by Bill Cooper,
X-File X93 (Ki.93) by Anthony Coleiro,
Victor 1 Adventure by Justin McCoy, and
The Last Word from Latrodectus. As well, there's some of the usual administrivia that you used to expect. So, read on and enjoy!
GAAP becomes Class D
From 3 June 2010, GAAP will no longer exist at Bankstown or Camden. The airspace surrounding these aerodromes (and all other current GAAP airports) will become 'Class D' and
VFR Approach Point 'Prospect'
with Bankstown in the distance there will be a number of changes to operating procedures. You'll find full details on the CASA website and you should ask your instructor if you have any questions.
Non-towered aerodromes
Also on 3 June 2010, there will be changes to operating procedures at non-towered aerodromes. Full details of these changes are available on the CASA website and you should ask your instructor if you have any questions.
Last light drinks
This is a social activity introduced by the Clubhouse & In-house Events sub committee for members and their guests to join together with some of our committee members on the last Sunday of each month. It is an opportunity to discuss flying at an operational and social level and see the changes that are taking place at the club. Drinks are available from our licensed bar, with complimentary savories served. It's a couple of hours of social interaction with an aviation theme that we can all enjoy. From 17:00 to wind up around 19:00. Come and join us on May 30.
Duty Pilot draw
The Volunteer Duty Pilot Monthly Draw ($50 free flying) went to the following members: February - Peter Jones and Russell Cameron. March - John Worthington and Frans Krause. April - Colin Phelps and Craig McGregor. The Club appreciates the efforts our tireless band of volunteers generously give in helping their Club and this is one small way of saying thank you!
Aviation Night
Join us on Saturday, 29 May for a night of Qantas Airbus A380 history presented by Senior Check Captain John Killingback. Commencing at 6:00pm for 6:30pm, the Dinner and Presentation will cost $55 with drinks at Schoies bar prices. Contact the Club for bookings by Friday, 21 May.
Night circuits
Our Night Circuit events are always popular, and we are pleased to see the number of members who are able to take advantage of this opportunity to stay NVFR-current or to check out what night flying is all about. We will be holding our second night event for 2010 on Friday, May 21st and will continue the "night circuit" format for those interested in night currency or getting hands-on exposure to flying at night.
New Committee
Congratulations and welcome to the new Committee that was elected at our Annual General Meeting on Monday, April 12. The new team is - President: John Young; Vice President; Glenn Seage; Secretary: Greg Leversha; Treasurer: Peter Cunningham; Committee: Michael Allsop, Allan Bligh, John Oldfield, Scott Pringle, Brett Tipton. Portfolio details to follow shortly. A special thank you to the outgoing Committee for their efforts over the last year.
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New members Welcome to the following new members who joined the Club in the last few months. Prospective New Members of the Club can download a Membership Application Form (174kB pdf) here. Note that it is still necessary for new members to attend the Club in person with photo identification before applications can be processed. February 2010 - Jack Ross, Andrew Wheelan, Nicholas Brown, David Bruhl, Mithat Aslan, Ian Johnson, Thomas Leigo, Sarah Newey, Vinh Ly, Tat Fung (Terry) Ho, Craig Gallie, Julian Said, Andrew Donnelly, Rohina Marya, Robert Bale, Josef Melvald, Rohan Jain, Anthony (Tony) Harrison, Christopher De Lima, Gregory Griffiths and James Ruben. March 2010 - Martin Brodie, Richard Smyth-King, Dane Pierce, David Carney, Myles Coleman, Donald McLay, Regina Linich, Peter Linich, Steven Hardie, Mark Roper, James Strang, Dylan Powell, Ingrid Phillips, Paul Hueston, Frenando Ivancheko-Romani, Robin Hamper, James Clayton, Adam Sales, Liana Irawan, Glen D'Souza and Javed Shamim. April 2010 - Lucyna MacKenize, Adrian Bartlett, Daniel Ayto, Mickie DuBoulay, Zhuo Chen, Charmaine Henao, Michael Busdon, Corey Brown, Nitin Rathore, Hochil Kim, Kristy Lewis, William Watson, Siu Lo, Haydn D'Arcy, Huy Nguyen, Andrew Lamberti, John Pennings, Peter Chrisis, Peter Larsen, Arvindh Muktevi Sai, Uros Jovanovic, Michael Lamerton, Peter Roenhave, Jorge Henao, Henry Sell, Tyrone McNulty and Michael Malaxos. |
Our next flying competition will be our regular event at Warnervale on Sunday, 23 May. Sequence will be short field take-off, instrument climb to 2,500 feet, forced landing then spot landing. Cost is $95 plus $20 for a third circuit if in need of recency. Contact the Club to book your place or to ferry the aircraft to or from Warnervale at private hire rates.
GPS theory course
Here's another opportunity to qualify for a GPS enroute endorsement. This credential is a prerequisite for any IFR GPS capability, such as en route GPS, DME or GPS Arrival, RNAV (GNSS) [or GPS/NPA], or for a GPS endorsement on a Night VFR rating. VFR pilots desirous of using GPS to supplement visual navigation will also find benefit from this training. On successful completion of the course, you will be given a log book certification, a requirement for these activities. Our next course will be on Sunday, 13 June.
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Congratulations to the following pilots who soloed recently. Justin Grey (10 March in a PA28; instructor: Dan Martin) and Andrew Grima-Farrell (8 May in a C152; instructor: Chris Pearl). Well done! More...
Welcome, Bill Cooper!
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Bill Cooper who joins us as Chief Flying Instructor and Chief Pilot. Charles Thompson has left us for greener pastures and Dan Martin remains with the Club as a senior grade 1 instructor. There's a full report later in this Newsletter.
Diamond Star DA40
We proudly announces the latest addition to our aircraft fleet, the Diamond Star DA40, VH-DIV. This four-seat composite aeroplane is fitted with a Garmin G1000 and it is now available for training, endorsements and private hire. A special introductory package has been developed that includes a 1 day ground school and 2 hours flying training.
Farewell to Vivianne Blackbourn
Farewell to Vivianne Blackbourn who has retired after more than ten years of devoted service to the Club. We extend our heartfelt thanks to her for the help she has given over the years. Viv's devotion to Schoies extended well beyond her role in Customer Service. She was actively involved in many voluntary duties, such as catering for Clubhouse functions and even choosing the furniture and décor for our Birch Street clubhouse. Viv's caring nature and sense of humour will be greatly missed by Club members, staff and the many, many friends she has made over the years. We wish her the very best for the future.
Diary dates
The Club has a number of social and flying activities planned for May and June of 2010 and you can check out the full details on our Coming Events page.
| Mon | 17 | May | 10 | Board Meeting | Clubhouse |
| Fri | 21 | May | 10 | Night Circuits | Bankstown |
| Sat | 23 | May | 10 | Club Competition | Warnervale |
| Sat | 29 | May | 10 | Aviation Night - A380 History | Clubhouse |
| Thu | 03 | June | 10 | Class D air traffic services commence at YSBK and YSCN | Bankstown |
| Fri | 11 | June | 10 | Night Circuits | Bankstown |
| Sun | 13 | June | 10 | GPS course | Clubhouse |
| Mon | 21 | June | 10 | Board Meeting | Clubhouse |
| Sun | 27 | June | 10 | Club Competition | Warnervale |
| Sat | 03 | July | 10 | College Presentation Night | Clubhouse |
| Sun | 11 | July | 10 | GPS course | Clubhouse |
| Fri | 16 | July | 10 | Night Circuits | Bankstown |
| Mon | 19 | July | 10 | Board Meeting | Clubhouse |
John Young
Hello Club members and Friends. Since taking over the role of President at the AGM a lot has happened.
Firstly I would like to thank Mike Allsop for his tireless role as President for the past five years and look forward to continuing to work closely with Mike on the Board this year.
Thank you also to retiring Board members Grahame Smith, Peter Whiteman and John Lightfoot. Collectively they have many years of service to the Club and we thank them for all of their time and effort.
I would also like to welcome new Board members, Vice President Glenn Seage and Board members, John Oldfield and Brett Tipton. I am sure we will all work together well.
Since the AGM, life has been a bit hectic with some changes of staff. Our CFI VFR Charles Thompson has decided to resign from the Club and we wish Charles the very best for the future.
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The continued publication of this newsletter depends almost entirely on the availability of suitable content and members, staff (or anyone else) are urged to contribute an item for publication. Articles can be about almost anything with a vaguely aviation flavour. An e-mail contribution to the Editor is the preferred method of submission, although hard copy can be faxed, posted or left at the Club. |
Some of you may have noticed that we now have a Diamond DA40 on line at the Club. This is a near new aircraft which is Garmin 1000 glass panel equipped and is kept in the hanger next to the Club. Come to the Club and have a look at it and perhaps do some glass training and familiarization flights.
As the new President I am keen to hear from any and all Members. As always my contact information and that of the full Board is on the website and I am at the Club most weekends. Those who don't know me, introduce yourself as I am always up for a chat.
Schofields Flying Club is now a member of the Royal Federation of Aero Clubs of Australia and at a recent meeting attended by Nelson, Charles and Allan, we were reminded of the need for all pilots to wear their ASIC at Bankstown. I suggest that all Members keep their ASIC up to date as it is only a matter of time before we get checked.
Please keep an eye on the website for information on activities and functions. Until the next newsletter I wish you all happy and safe flying. See you at the Club.
John Young
President, Schofields Flying Club
Bill Cooper
Hi, I'm Bill Cooper, your new Chief Pilot and Chief Flying Instructor. I've started to get to know members and staff .. and to learn Club procedures and culture. The Club has presented a very accommodating and friendly face. I thank those involved for their warm welcome to a newcomer. Dan Martin has, in particular, been very helpful, as has John Young, Nelson and numerous others.
A few background notes may help the acquaintance: I attended Parramatta High and then trained with Sydney Technical College as a Mech. (Production) Engineer. In 1965, I did a TIF with CFI Bob Curtis, at Camden Aero Club.
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Lawrence Livermore Laboratories has discovered the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element, Governmentium (Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second, to take from 4 days to 4 years to complete. Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2 - 6 years. It does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass. When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium, an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons. |
Meanwhile, having attended Sydney TAFE for Private, Commercial, Air Transport and Flight Navigator courses, I was offered a job teaching there. At the time, though happy with my engineering career, I'd tried for upmarket pilot employment, but airlines were not recruiting, as larger, faster aircraft were reducing the pilot employment pool .. and the Fleet Air Arm, to which I'd also applied and been successfully interviewed, dropped fixed-wing training to retrain their existing pilots for helis, so that avenue had ground to a halt, too.
So, I accepted TAFE's offer and moved in to the teaching job in 1970, where I stayed for the next 30 years, moving from trainee teacher to teacher, to senior head teacher, to acting management positions, such as Head of School and Faculty Director. An absolutely excellent job, I must say! I gained stable, enjoyable employment, was paid for talking to interesting people about flying, something that I considered a hobby ... and loved. I learned a great deal from the students, many of whom I still see around, have worked with such top local celebrities as Pat Watson and Len Yates and became a part-time corporate pilot, when TAFE was coerced into buying a BE58 Baron, which we operated for a trouble free 7 years, 'til squeezing budgets forced its sale.
In 2003, with the rather unfortunate decline of the Camden Aero Club, (as with the RACNSW itself, alas) I was headhunted by Camden Aviation, a local charter/training operation, to be CP/CFI, where I stayed until 2007. CA was like an Aero Club in miniature, though individually owned. It operated C310, Navajo and Partenavia aircraft on charter, trained local students, sold fuel and for years hosted the Air Force Cadets at various times through the year. RAAF instructors assisted our civil types, bringing impressive skills with them. Alas, the Air Force Cadet contract eventually was not renewed and things became pretty quiet around Camden.
When Lindsey Lobwein, a Qantas captain and CA owner sold the business in '07, I was asked to join the BK-based Sydney Aviation College, a boutique school with 4 aircraft and 5 instructors. I was initially CP/CFI, until the owner, who had been flying airlines overseas, returned as CP. The company had numerous loyal local students and had gained a very good reputation. There was quite a lot of multi-engine training, with which I was involved, for both locals and SE Asians. The company was really busy, profitable and continued to be so into 2010, though with an owner change. This was to a controlling company which also owned SAC's neighbour, Proflite Australia, specialising in International student training. SAC was closed (duh!) and the business consolidated into PF which folded recently. So, here I am, rescued from the General Aviation wreckage by the good guys!
I look forward to meeting more of the membership, to listen to ideas about how to make a fine organisation even better, to institute service improvements in ground and flight training, to maintain a loyal, happy staff and to continue the great tradition of the Club movement into the future.
Bill Cooper
Chief Flying Instructor & Chief Pilot
The Ki.93 was the first combat aircraft entirely designed by the Army Aerotechnical Research Institute (Rikugun Kokugijutsu Kenkyujo) of Japan. The aircraft was a two-seat heavy fighter intended for both the bomber destroyer (Ki.93-Ia) and ground attack (Ki.93-Ib) roles. The aircraft was first mooted in 1943 and the plan was to construct twelve prototypes.
The aircraft was specifically designed to carry a new 57 mm cannon and a pair of 20 mm cannons and a 12.7 mm machine gun.
The engines fitted to the Ki.93 were a pair of 1,970 hp
Mitsubishi Ha.214 18-cylinder radial engines. In addition to guns, a pair of 550 lb bombs was carried between the fuselage and nacelles. The engines fitted to the Ki.93 were a pair of 1,970 hp Mitsubishi Ha.214 18-cylinder radial engines driving six-bladed constant speed propellers. The crew sat back to back in a heavily armoured cockpit under a glasshouse canopy.
The aircraft was all-metal in construction and had a stressed skin fuselage of basically oval section. The wings had a twin spar arrangement and were fitted with split flaps.
After a protracted development period, the first prototype was flown in April 1945 but due to pilot error, the aircraft was damaged on landing. It took four weeks to repair the aircraft. The night before test flying was to resume, the aircraft was destroyed in an American bombing raid on the factory's field. A second prototype was incomplete when the war came to an end. The maximum speed of the aircraft was never tested but the manufacturer estimated that the aircraft could do 624 km/h.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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The Complete Book of Fighters - William Green Gordon Swanborough |
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War Planes of the Second World War - Fighters Volume Three - William Green |
Anthony Coleiro
Justin McCoy
As a mature age student pilot I enjoy my circuits and TA excursions, but occasionally it's nice to fly purely for fun. So I rang Chris Pearl and suggested for my next session we do Victor One instead of ccts, and he was happy to oblige.
I considered this flight to be a sort of basic nav exercise as well, and to prepare, I pored over the Sydney Basin guide the night before. To assist me on the day, I made up an events list of about 14 points based on where and when things change; features, headings, frequencies, altitudes etc. I also did a dry run of the whole trip on X-Plane flight sim, to get an idea of how everything might look and feel.
Our slot was Thursday afternoon, 2pm. The weather was good, not too hot and not too windy as we took off in FTU from 29R, departing crosswind to the north. With my trusty Sydney Basin guide and events list on my kneeboard, we tracked to Parramatta then Pennant Hills. As we turned east at Hornsby the Baha'i temple was clearly visible in the distance, and Chris dialled up Sydney ATIS on the VOR. To avoid drifting into controlled airspace, he had me track slightly north of east to compensate for a bit of wind from the north.
Approaching Narrabeen Lakes, we set up for our cruise descent, switched on all hazard lights, fuel pump etc and turned right towards Long Reef. It was at this point that the trip changed from a cross country to something very special. Flying just off the coast while gently descending to 1000' is an exhilarating experience. Visibility seemed to be unlimited, and trusting me to look after FTU and us, CP whipped out his camera. We cruised south, the air absolutely smooth, gradually coming down towards 500', as we made our Victor One call. No one replied, and I remarked to CP that we were the only ones in the sky. He said yes, except for that chopper some distance off and flying away from us to our right, who for some reason hadn't responded ... no problem, Cats Eyes Chris had him covered.
The coast from Bondi to Botany Bay was spectacular, and I was pleased to easily recognise features both from the Basin guide and X-Plane.
Long Reef looking south Long Bay and Little Bay stood out quite clearly, as did the oil refinery and new desalination plant at Kurnell. Passing the entrance to Botany Bay we spotted a 737 high above floating down to Sydney 34. Having read far too many tales of woe involving wake turbulence, and taking note of the warning in the guide, I wondered aloud whether we were far enough away. CP replied yes, that's why we are at 500'. As we turned in towards Cronulla, a bump. The 737? I wondered aloud again. No, said CP. Once again we seemed to be alone in the sky. Then below us we saw a kite surfer at an altitude varying from 0' to 20' or so. We cleared him by about 480', and I hoped he wasn't affected by our wake turbulence.
I found myself in awe of my surroundings, and therefore occasionally drifted off heading. CP however, while appreciating the spectacular scenery, was able to correct my headings and point out various beaches to force land upon if necessary. At Jibbon Point I was sorry to leave 500' as we commenced a climb to 1000', eventually making our way up to 2500'.
Wattamolla slid into view, its distinct V-shaped beach easily identified. CP drew my attention to other features, roads, railway lines etc that would positively ID these landmarks, and compared them with his VTC.
As the fabulous new Sea Cliff Bridge appeared we turned west, tracking for Appin. Wedderburn airfield was quite prominent to our right, and we kept well south of it to avoid the Holsworthy restricted area. This was a good idea because apart from being home to a squadron of Black Hawks, Holsworthy is a live firing range. CP said that if we wandered in there and were not accidentally shot down, we would surely die under the weight of the resulting paper work.
Along the way, he was teaching me his simple mental navigation method. This involved using our cruising speed, the distance between features on the chart, and his watch. Estimating our ETAs at points such as the Sea Cliff Bridge or Appin, he was consistently accurate to within a few seconds ... simple and effective. Swinging north around the clearly visible Appin Colliery and town, we were at around 2500', so we made a call on the Wedderburn CTAF.
Seacliff Bridge There was a response from an aircraft joining the circuit crosswind, and although we didn't see him, it was good to be aware that we were no longer alone in the sky.
Menangle Park track and Mt Annan passed under our left wing, as CP gave me a demo of the ADF, tuning it to Camden. The needle dutifully pointed off to our left, so I asked him to tune it to 576, my favourite station. We listened to Poetica with Mike Ladd for a few seconds, as the ADF pointed straight ahead to the mast! Snapping back to a higher workload, we dialled up the YSBK ATIS. It was still Golf, so no change since our departure. Descending to 1500' as we approached 2RN, I gave the call, and noted another aircraft not far behind us. Directed to join crosswind for 29R we aimed FTU between Warwick Farm and the lakes, as I looked for the Velodrome. There it was, just as it looks on X-Plane, except that the graphics were much better. On our downwind call we were cleared to land. However I was not quite on top of things, and got a bit behind the aeroplane ... happily the bloke next to me had his act together and with a bit of helpful pushing and prodding I got us down OK. This was another lesson for me; perhaps my spirit was still 500' above the ocean while my flesh was 500' above Condell Park. Never mind, FTU is still serviceable. Thank you Chris for a most uplifting experience ... I recommend a Victor One trip for anyone at any point in their training, just for the sheer enjoyment of flying.
Justin McCoy
Maths Teacher Arrested
A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler a protractor, a set square, a slide rule and a calculator. At a morning press conference the Attorney General said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement. He did not identify the man who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of maths instruction. 'Al-gebra is a problem for us' the Attorney General said. 'They desire solutions by means and extremes and sometimes go off on tangents in a search of absolute value. They use secret code names like 'x' and 'y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns' but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country. As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say "There are 3 sides to every triangle." When asked to comment on the arrest President Bush said 'If God had wanted us to have better Weapons of Maths Instruction he would have given us more fingers and toes.' Republican leaders told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the President.
Contributions & feedback
Well, that's your Newsletter for this month. You should check the latest news on the Club's website at www.schofields-flying-club.com.au. Contributions, comments, feedback, and suggestions to latrodectus@schofields-flying-club.com.au.
Thought for the month
Life is a matter of choosing the set of problems you are willing to live with.
Latrodectus
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