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
SCHOFIELDS FLYING CLUB NEWSLETTER - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008
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NEW MEMBERS |
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July 08 - David Gudex, David Dix, Huu Nguyen, Kiet Quan, Jason Phuong, Matthew Kronborg, Frans Krause, Jasbir Singh, Nathan Williams, John Maguire, Sabien Sleman, Tim Joass, Aron Casey, Stephen Maltby, Nadeem Amin, Aaron Topley, Ricky Law, Xyrus Militar, Peter Gerald Smith, Michael Harding, John McGraw, Corinne Fabian, Antonio Vitagliano, Scott Oliver, Richard Ure, Alexander King, Graham Porter and Luca Fiorentino. August 08 - Hemayet Hossain, Peter Barry, Wook Jo, Stephen Pembro, Mercedes Paulini, Anthony DeGroot, Richard O'Brien, Rachel Crawford, Jacqueline Dunn, Joel Bateson, Anthony Griffiths, Adrian Hastwell-Batten, Whitney Rousham, Robert Laird, Mitchell Harris and Jason Peters. September 08 - Lachlan Taylor, Amit Kumar, Christian Antonakos, Sharne Wheeler, Carolyn Cutler, Edward Thirlwall, Phillip Friery, Richard Ryan, Robert Cochran, Perrin Dabrowski, Andrew McDonald, Paul Wilson and Georgina Kallis. |
Welcome to the September/October 2008 edition of Schofields News. There are the most of the usual plus some new features -
President's Notes by Mike Allsop,
Ask the CFI by Patrick Watson,
X-File X088 (MiG7) by Anthony Coleiro,
Read about our gliding weekend at Narromine! Aviation Night Report - (The Pathfinders) by Mike Allsop, Sports Flying Update by John Hook, English is a Crazy Language contributed by Latrodectus, Alcohol and Other Drug Use in Aviation contributed by Latrodectus, Narromine Flyaway (Day 1) by Alan Searle, New Telescope Scans Cosmos contributed by Latrodectus, Narromine Flyaway (Day 2) by Alan Searle, and The Last Word from Latrodectus. As well, there's some of the usual administrivia that you've come to expect. So, read on and enjoy!
Read about our gliding weekend at Narromine! Aviation Night Report - (The Pathfinders) by Mike Allsop, Sports Flying Update by John Hook, English is a Crazy Language contributed by Latrodectus, Alcohol and Other Drug Use in Aviation contributed by Latrodectus, Narromine Flyaway (Day 1) by Alan Searle, New Telescope Scans Cosmos contributed by Latrodectus, Narromine Flyaway (Day 2) by Alan Searle, and The Last Word from Latrodectus. As well, there's some of the usual administrivia that you've come to expect. So, read on and enjoy!
DUCHESS ON LINE: We're pleased to announce that Beech Duchess VH-JRT is now on line at Schofields Flying Club. The aircraft is available for private hire and advanced dual instruction. It's the ideal platform for initial multi-engine, IFR or NVFR training. Contact the Club for further details. More...
BAK THEORY: For all those budding student pilots, here is your opportunity to get the very best tuition available in Australia - the Schoies BAK, conducted by hand picked, specialist theory teachers. Schoies makes the theory component of flying easy. Each Wednesday night and all day Saturday for 7 weeks, commencing 8 October. If interested in attending please ring the Club on 9709 8488 ASAP to secure your place. More...
DUTY PILOT DRAW: The Volunteer Duty Pilot Monthly Draw ($50 free flying) for July went to Russell Cameron and Glen Billington. For August it went to George Catchpoole and John Hook and for September it went to Matthew Wong and Howard Elsey. 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!
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LAST LIGHT DRINKS 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 October 26.
DIARY DATES: The Club has a number of social and flying activities planned for the remainder of 2008 and you can check out the full details on our Coming Events page.
| Mon | 06 | Oct | Public Holiday (Labour Day) | |
| Mon | 20 | Oct | Committee Meeting | Clubhouse |
| Sun | 26 | Oct | Last Light Drinks | Clubhouse |
| Sun | 02 | Nov | Club Competition | Warnervale |
| Sun | 02 | Nov | RED BULL AIR RACE from Perth televised by Channel 9 from 13:30-17:00. Watch this event on the Club's giant TV then enjoy an afternoon BBQ with the bar opening later in the afternoon. | Clubhouse |
| Sat | 08 | Nov | Interclub competition | Wagga |
| Sat | 15 | Nov | COLLEGE PRESENTATION NIGHT - Patrick will give a short talk on technology changes over the years. A catered affair MC'd by Mike Allsop. By invitation. | Clubhouse |
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22 23 |
Nov Nov |
Huntington Music Festival Flyaway Details Huntington Music Festival Flyaway Details |
Mudgee Mudgee |
| Mon | 17 | Nov | Committee Meeting | Clubhouse |
| Sun | 30 | Nov | Last Light Drinks | Clubhouse |
| Sun | 07 | Dec | Club competition | Bankstown |
| Sat | 13 | Dec | CLUB CHRISTMAS PARTY - we expect to have a another RAAF pilot to give us a different view of flying in the Australian Air force. | Clubhouse |
| Mon | 15 | Dec | Committee Meeting | Clubhouse |
| Thu | 25 | Dec | Public holiday (Christmas Day) | |
| Fri | 26 | Dec | Public Holiday (Boxing Day) | |
| Sun | 28 | Dec | Last Light Drinks | Clubhouse |
Mike Allsop
This month I'd like to make a few observations about our unique position as a Club, operating for the benefit of its members. As you know, we are doing a large volume of business at present which is fabulous to see. A significant proportion of this is training related, whether to PPL or CPL level, and whether the trainee is full time or occasional. We cater for all requirements. With such a level of training activity we sometimes need to remind ourselves of the basic purpose of the Club - to provide aviation and related services to all interested members - not just to flying training. Accordingly you will have seen a number of clubhouse events now scheduled as well as a variety of "flyouts" to destinations of interest within easy reach. The recent navigation challenge from Bankstown was also a way of bringing a bit of fun into our flying in a novel kind of way. I would encourage all members to take advantage of these various events and give yourselves the opportunity to do something a bit different in the company of others. As always, guests are most welcome.
Of course, we all "just want to go flying". This need not be a long cross country - indeed some of the best times can be had with friends and family on a local Sydney scenic. If you don't have passengers but would like to share some flying with others, make sure you give us a call. We can try to put 2 or 3 pilots together to share a nav or other flight where you each do a bit of the work. This is both cheaper and more enjoyable than just heading off on your own. Give it a go.
There has been a lot of interest in the requirements for the Biennial Aeroplane Flight Review (AFR). As a matter of principle, we (and you!) want you to be safe, competent and confident in your flying no matter when you go. Our approach to the AFR needs to take your "typical" flying needs into account, along with your recent experience and familiarity with operations and procedures, perhaps a brush up on airmanship or any other aspects you would find beneficial.
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Please give us as much lead time as possible to book you in! For dual instruction and checks, at least a fortnight's notice is probably needed at present. We have been trying to meet the needs of members through a diligent process of forward scheduling (aircraft, instructors etc), and this has resulted in a little less flexibility for those who have not booked in advance. For private hire, while we would like to say that a day or so's notice is sufficient, the current situation does require you to make a booking probably a week or more ahead to ensure you can get an aircraft when you want it.
On the fleet front, you may have noticed Arrow VH-SFJ resplendent in its new colour scheme with smart new interior. A real gem, and a great companion for look-alike Archer SFA. FTU is in for its scheduled engine change for 2-3 weeks. In its absence you will see a couple of new on-line additions to whet your appetite. Warrior BVM joins us with a new interior and smart new avionics package similar to the rest of our fleet, while in a first for us we welcome a very well presented Cessna 172 VH-KZS for those of you who might like to offer your passengers the best views in Sydney. If you've not flown the Cessna 172 before, give it a go with a check flight. Both are great aircraft.
See you out at the Club this month and, as always, enjoy your flying.
Mike Allsop
President SFC
Staff changes
Pat Watson Lately, it's been hard to keep up with some of the changes to our Instructor staff.
The airlines are taking most of them. However, I'll fill you in on the most recent changes. Jennifer Laird, returned then left pretty well straight away. Lori Timewell is now in Qantaslink, Allison McKenzie has joined a Charter Company in Emerald, Queensland. A new Instructor is Ilka Trevillion. Ilka is a very experienced pilot with nearly 3000 hours experience. She has endorsements on Metroliners, Beech Duke, Chieftain, Baron, Cessna 402, C310, Crusader, Piper Seneca and Cessna Caravan. A wealth of experience you will agree. Ilka has a Grade 2 Instructor Rating with Multi-engine training approval. A very valuable addition to our instructional staff. I am sure you will make her very welcome.Other staff news
Babies galore to report this month. Popular instructors Kozue and Jeffrey Swain have a new baby daughter, her name is Yuka. Janina Galliani has had another baby boy, Jackson Leroy Brown. Matthew Ingram and his wife Claire have a baby daughter, Kate Elizabeth. And finally, our new Instructor, Ilka has a 14 month old baby daughter, Soraya.
Maintenance Releases
A recent audit of Maintenance Releases shows an appalling lack of knowledge - or perhaps ignorance, or perhaps apathy. There are lots of entry gaps, incorrect calculations, and flying over hours.
Consequences of not checking the MR before flight:
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The aeroplane may be unserviceable - the previous pilot may have written thus on the MR - if you don't check it you won't know. Worst case scenario ... the unserviceability may cause the aircraft to crash - you, or your estate will be liable. |
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The aeroplane may be overdue for an oil change - or a 100 hourly - or a radio inspection. Again you won't know if you don't check. |
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The CAO requires you to do a daily inspection and certify to that effect on the MR. If anything happens, and you haven't done the inspection and signed the MR - again you are liable. |
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Whenever there is an accident or incident, the first thing CASA does is check the MR, if there are any anomalies or if you haven't signed it, you are in big trouble. |
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You may not be covered by insurance. In which case you will be liable for the aeroplane, any injuries to passengers or people on the ground. You may also be liable for any property damage. |
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CASA inspectors may be at any aerodrome to conduct a ramp check. SFR was checked just recently at Wollongong. Luckily all the documentation (including pilot's licence and medical) were all in order. |
One MR, I checked, showed the aircraft had flown on the 10th of the month. The next flight was the 14th of the month. Our computer records showed the plane had flown 3 unrecorded flights over the 11th, 12th and 13th. None of those pilots had signed the MR for those dates, they presumably had not checked the MR for anomalies, unserviceabilities or hours.
Our computer keeps good records of who flies the aeroplanes. Effective immediately, any future recalcitrant pilots will be required to attend a mandatory MR theory course before being authorised to hire any Club or on-line aircraft.
New aircraft
We now have another twin engine aircraft on line. It is a Beech Duchess VH-JRT. It is a bit cheaper, has better availability, and hiring is less restrictive than VH-PIE. Conditions of hire are as follows:
| 1. | Be duly licensed and endorsed on Duchess and have a Club check flight within the previous 90 days of the hire date; or |
| 2. | 1000 hours total time AND 100 hours multi-engine AND 15 hours on type |
This month's poser
Try this month's question, which applies particularly to IFR pilots, however anyone with a mathematical bent may like to have a go at it.The question relates to an ILS approach to Canberra. The Approach Plate (ILS-Y RWY 35), shows a Decision Height of 2170 feet. In the event you are not visual at this height, you are required to conduct a missed approach. The chart requires you to climb at a gradient of 5% to 3200 feet, then 2.5% in order to clear all obstacles by 100 feet.
The AIP requires you to recalculate the Decision Height in the event your aircraft cannot achieve the required climb gradient.
In the event of an engine failure, the single engine climb performance requirement for most light twin engine aircraft, including the on-line Piper Seminole, is 1%.
What is the new Decision Height if the initial climb gradient is 1%?
In your calculations, ignore the subsequent 2.5% climb requirement (you can assume you become visual at 3200 feet). Your climb speed is TAS 90 Knots, wind component zero.
'Til next month, happy flying.
Patrick Watson
Chief Pilot - Chief Flying Instructor
By 1943, the Russians were becoming increasingly concerned about the fact that they could not intercept any highflying Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft. What was needed was an effective high altitude interceptor capable of operations in excess of 40,000 ft.
Mikoyan-Gurevich began work on a new fighter along the lines of their earlier designs called the MiG-7.
Russian Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-7 The aircraft was of all metal construction with a fully retractable undercarriage and powered by a 1,700 hp Kilmov M-107A 12 cylinder 'V' engine driving an inordinately large four-bladed paddle type propeller. A pressure cabin was provided for the pilot, which was a self-contained unit incorporating armoured bulkheads.
The first prototype is believed to have commenced testing in late 1944 but no production was ordered as by this late stage in the war the high flying threat had diminished. No details of any testing were available apart from a reported service ceiling of 41,000 feet.
While no production was undertaken, a lot of useful experience was gained with pressure cabins for the post war Russian jets to come.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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War Planes of the Second World War - Fighters Volume Three - William Green |
Anthony Coleiro
The DeHavilland Mosquito was ideally suited
We held a very successful dinner evening at the Club on Saturday September 13th with two guest speakers from the wartime RAAF. With a catered dinner for 50 guests, complimentary wine at the tables and general conviviality all round, we were very pleased to have "christened" our clubhouse with one of our traditional and popular functions. It was also our pleasure to welcome a good number of family and friends of members to the dinner - many with special connections to the subject matter covered by our speakers. In fact we ended up with a table at the front of the room complete with photographs, maps, artwork and other memorabilia contributed by many on the evening and all the subject of great discussion. A brief summary of the material covered by the speakers follows.
Greg Parsons DFC and Jim Allsop were both members of the "Pathfinder Force" of the RAF during WWII, and both were navigators. Greg continued flying for Qantas after the war and ended his career as "Chief Navigator" with the airline. As he recounted, his second last job at Qantas was to convince the Department of Civil Aviation (an early CASA predecessor) that the "new" Boeing 747 could safely rely on triple inertial navigation systems and therefore could be safely crewed in the absence of a navigator. His last job at the airline was to negotiate a golden handshake for navigators! Jim moved into civilian life after the war but remained an aviation enthusiast. Both are members of the Pathfinder Force Association in Australia, which incidentally presents an annual award to the RAAF airman of the year at Richmond. Greg is the President of that association.
Both men were trained under a massive multi-country programme known as the "Empire Air Training Scheme". Over 10,000 pilots, navigators, air gunners etc were trained to a common syllabus to a common standard in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Rhodesia and even the USA.
Early "triple inertial" navigation system Navigator students were selected either directly or from pilot ranks as those with particular skill in mental gymnastics and geographical situational awareness. Greg completed his training in NSW in 1941 (Fairey Battle, Avron Anson) and was transferred to England to fly firstly in Wellingtons and then Lancasters. Jim was a "young lad" completing his training in Victoria and South Australia in 1944 (Tiger Moth, Wirraway, Avro Anson), transferring to England into Mosquito bombers.
The RAF introduced the "Pathfinder" force in 1942 as a specialist unit to overcome many of the difficulties of night navigation and target identification for large forces of bombers. While various tactics were used, generally a small group of Pathfinders would identify the target and mark a reference point from low level immediately prior to a main force attack from a much higher altitude. A separate Pathfinder detail would be tasked with "finding the wind" for the main force so that appropriate calibrations could be made to their bomb sights. In all cases precision timing was essential - plus or minus 6 seconds at the marking point to coincide with the separate arrival of the bomber force above.
The aircraft used for pathfinding were initially Lancasters, fast becoming the mainstay of Bomber Command by 1942. By 1943 the "new" DeHavilland Mosquito proved to be ideally suited to fast strike and marking over long distances. The navigator would huddle over a map table and other equipment to plot the desired course and make various track and timing corrections. In the Mosquito the navigator doubled up as bombardier after squeezing into the transparent nose section for the final run to target. Early radio navigation services were introduced to assist at least part of the way. GEE involved aligning blips on a cathode ray tube corresponding to hyperbolic lines on a navigation chart for position fixing. It was good enough to reach the Dutch coast from England, but no further. LORAN was a similar system in concept ("LOng RAnge Navigation") and was good to about the German border.
The Pathfinders initially used Lancasters Imagine dealing with hyperbolic curved grids on a tiny chart in the dark with the merciless pounding of RR Merlins in your ears! Greg used an early form of ground mapping radar called H2S as fitted to some Lancasters. He said it was great for a fuzzy representation of rivers, lakes, coastlines etc as you flew along, but did tend to attract night fighters homing in on it. Jim had less of a problem with fighters since the Mossie tended to outrun all but the Messerschmitt 262 jet. The defensive armament in the Mosquito bomber was a 38 pistol carried by each of the 2 crew.
The techniques pioneered by the Pathfinder squadrons were well suited to the operational environment and the equipment of the day. As Greg put it, "the best people with the best training in the best equipment" was an unbeatable combination. It still is. The thing that struck the audience on the night was the clarity of recollection and the general pride held by these gentlemen in a job that had to be done but no more. It was fascinating to learn of their training path and the discipline they had to follow, the emerging technology that helped them and the lessons which endured. Over 60 years later the basic lessons for us are much the same.
Many thanks Greg and Jim for a wonderful evening. You are most welcome at our Club at any time. Thanks go also to Greg Leversha for arranging the evening plus a dedicated band of helpers in setting up and clearing up. This assistance is much appreciated. Thanks also to Peter Blackbourn for compiling a brief video of Lancaster and Mosquito footage. The sights and sounds of Merlins over the club's audio system was fabulous. Thanks again to all involved.
Mike Allsop
President SFC
Club Competition at Warnervale on 29th June
John Hook Right-hand seat day is rightly popular as pilots try to take charge of everything from the right seat including not just an instrument flight sequence - hard work - but spiral recovery under the hood. Instructor Laurie Timewell was impressed with the spiral recovery proficiency shown by the nine pilots who flew on the day. First with 230 out of a possible 300 points was Peter Cunningham who also won the Spot Landing competition. Second with 202 points and winner of the Forced Landing certificate was Bob Casagrande, and third was newcomer Colin Bruce with 196 points. Equal first in the instrument climb and spiral recovery was Peter Cunningham and John Hook. Our ferry pilots for the day were Richard Van Doornum who went out of his way to drive to Bankstown from the Central Coast and fly SFK to Warnervale whilst John Hook drove his car there and ferried the aircraft back, arriving just on last light.
Overall points tally for the 3 competitions this year has Peter Cunningham in an almost unbeatable lead with 646, Alan Drury second on 368 and David Jaffray third with 323.
Navigation Challenge on 17th August
We had seven aircraft attempt our Navigation Challenge, for which the weather was perfect, yet with some aircraft delayed by the need to remove ice. Apart from the 4 club Warriors and Archer SFA, we had Arrow LSG after SRY refused to start and MIG - the only one without wings getting in the way when looking down. Special thanks to Peter Cunningham's mother and sister for cooking us breakfast.
The Navigation Challenge route was north to Hornsby via the Lane, east to Narrabeen Lake, north to Barranjoey, west to Patonga and Brooklyn Bridge then back via the GA lane. In all there were 24 questions to answer weighted at 2 points each and a nominated time with 10 minutes for achieving that and then 1 point down for each minute off.
Everybody saw the 5 chimneys on the
Barranjoey light house buildings So the maximum score possible was 58 and the winners on a score of 53 was the team of Richard Ure, Josh Paterson, Sean Lake and David Bettridge in HQR. Equal second on 48 points were David Arblaster, Brian Newman and Lenka Hill in IJK with Mike Allsop and Larry Cornford in LSG. Third on 45 points, Kevin Burman, Rod Lemon and Mark Peters in SFK came in closest to time - just 35 seconds over their estimate of 1 hour.
On the questions, some were easy and others a bit more difficult and we had to allow different answers. For example whilst just about everybody saw the 5 chimneys on the Barranjoey light house buildings, the number of roofs varied according to how they were counted. However one question was not answered correctly by any team - 23. What is at the following location? 33° 48' 34"S 150° 54' 50"E . What could it be used for? The answer was 2RPH radio station as listed in ERSA, that could be used for tracking down the LOE. Indeed it's known informally as the "Prospect NDB". However the radio tower wasn't marked on the VTC at the ERSA location so we allowed marks for those that nominated the nearby drive-in that is shown on the VTC. And some answers to question 18 were of concern: If uncertain of your position, or in hazy conditions tracking to YSBK in the LOE, which radio navigation aid would be the most appropriate to use for tracking purposes. (Assume you have no GPS). Answer: Camden NDB (or 2RPH 1224). Some answered Bankstown NDB and that is the worry - tracking to BK NDB from BBG would certainly create a VCA (Violation of Controlled Airspace) or close to it - try it some time by putting a ruler on a VTC. Also draw a line from BBG to the CN NDB and note that the deviation from the marked lane track is well within tolerance. Given that 5 km is the minimum legal visibility for VFR flight and Prospect is more than that from BK, the CN NDB or 2RPH will get you to Prospect and from there and only then can the BK NDB be used to track to BK.
John Hook
[Comment from Latrodectus: 2RPH (1224 kHz - née 2WS) is intentionally not shown on the SY VTC (or any other aeronautical charts) because its use as a tracking aid is not encouraged. Pilots should be aware of AIP ENR 1.1 para 19.11 (avoiding controlled airspace) which prescribes the application of a tracking tolerance of ±6.9° (±7° for practical purposes) to the intended flight path when using NDB as the primary tracking aid. The track from BBG to PSP or CN does not ensure that RIC CTR is avoided when this ±7° buffer is applied. A more appropriate tracking aid 'if uncertain of position, or in hazy conditions in the LOE' would be Sydney Radar on 124.55 or 125.8MHz.]
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EURO ENGLISH |
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The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as 'Euro-English'. In the first year, 's' will replace the soft 'c'. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard 'c' will be dropped in favour of 'k'. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome 'ph' will be replaced with 'f'. This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter. In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent 'e' in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away. By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing 'th' with 'z' and 'w' with v'. During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary 'o' kan be dropd from vords kontaining 'ou' and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united Urop vil finali kum tru. Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking lik zey vunted in ze forst plas. |
Many cultures find that English might possibly be one of the most difficult languages to learn. Not, in fact, for its words, but for the fact that it has so many unusual and contradictory rules. Just looking over an English study book will tell you that so many odd ifs and buts apply to so many words that it is enough to drive one crazy. Here are some examples of the oddities in the English language:
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
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We take our language for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, that boxing rings are square, and that a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. An why is it that writers write, but fingers do not fing, grocers do not groce, and hammers do not ham?
If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't beeth the plural of booth? One goose; two geese. So, one moose, two meese, right? And one index, but two indices? What gives?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends, but not just one amend? That you can comb through the annals of history but not through a single annal? And answer me this - If you have a bunch of odds and ends and you get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
And if we say that teachers taught, why can't we say that preachers praught? And, hey, if a vegetarian eats vegetables, then what does a humanitarian eat? Did you ever think about that?
If you say that you wrote a letter, why, then, don't you say that you bote your tongue? Sometimes it seems that English-speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Or ship by car while sending cargo by ship? Or have noses that run and feet that smell? Or park in driveways and drive on parkways?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same when a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can "overlook" and "oversee" be opposites, while "quite a lot" and "quite a few" are the same? And how can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell on another? What does that mean?
And have you ever noticed that we talk about certain things only when they are absent? For example, have you ever seen a horseful carriage or a strapful gown? Or met a sung hero or experienced requited love? Have you ever run into anyone who really WAS combobulated, gruntled, ruly, or peccable? Well, have you? And where are all those people who really ARE spring chickens or who actually WOULD hurt a fly?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down; in which you fill out a form by filling it in, and in which an alarm clock goes off by coming on.
English was invented by people, not by computers, and it illustrates the creativity of the human race (which is not a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And that is why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this article, I end it.
ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUG USE IN AVIATION - CONTRIBUTED BY LATRODECTUS
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From mid 2008, CASA will be working closely with the aviation industry on the implementation of the regulations for drug and alcohol management plans and testing. Designed to make aviation even safer, the measures are being introduced to bring the aviation industry in line with community expectations and other transport modes.
As a result of a fatal accident on Hamilton Island in 2004, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau recommended that the Department of Transport and Regional Services and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) jointly examine the safety benefits of a testing regime for alcohol and other drugs in the aviation sector. Following receipt of the joint Department of Transport and Regional Services-CASA report, the Australian Government directed CASA to commence work to implement the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) initiative, which would include AOD testing for aviation safety-sensitive personnel.
The major component of the initiative is the introduction of Drug and Alcohol Management Plans, which are to be implemented by holders of Air Operator Certificates and Certificates of Approval. The plans are subject to audit, oversight and monitoring by CASA. This will cover approximately 67,000 employees in aviation safety-sensitive roles.
The introduction of the AOD initiative will be supported by a comprehensive industry-wide education and awareness campaign, and training in the development of Drug and Alcohol Management Plans. CASA has developed comprehensive guidance material and offers face-to-face training sessions to assist the industry with the design and implementation of Drug and Alcohol Management Plans.
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The aim of the initiative is to minimise AOD-related risks associated with the performance of safety-sensitive activities in the aviation industry. It is not aimed at identifying people who may have used AOD at times when this use did not impact on aviation safety.
Random testing will be conducted by CASA via an outsourced provider who will collect samples, perform initial tests and be responsible for ensuring the reliability of the collection process. The testing provider will send the initial positive specimens to an accredited laboratory for confirmatory testing. All confirmatory tests conducted by the laboratory will be reported to the Medical Review Officer within CASA for verification. A regulatory offence regime exists for those identified through random testing as having confirmed positive tests. The regulatory regime will support key enforcement action that is proportional to the offence. This regime only applies to random testing.
CASA has launched a nation-wide education campaign - including guidance material, training days and workshops - for people in the aviation industry, as well as a dedicated web site.
NARROMINE FLY AWAY 27-28TH SEPTEMBER - PART 1 - BY ALAN SEARLE
Part 1 - Gliding at Narromine Gliding Club - Saturday, 25 September 2008
Saturday morning and everyone was at the club ready to go by 9am. 13 people and 6 aircraft, ready for our little adventure. Pre Flights were done, itinerary distributed to all and we were on our way.
One could have been forgiven for thinking we had flown in formation for we all arrived within a short time of each other after a beautifully smooth flight.
Nelson Crawshaw prepares to go gliding It was so nice to see the country green again. Unfortunately Servinda Singh in the Cessna was unable to depart for technical reasons, so 5 planes were tied down at Narromine at 11.30am. Sorry you weren't with us Servinda. Another time!
Lunch was served immediately in our comfortable lodging, The Airport Caravan Park, 100 metres from our planes, proving most convenient. Jo, our host, had prepared a tasty cold cut salad of fine country size and quality. Then it was off to the glider field for our first eager adventurers.
Ray and Michael Hand offered themselves as guinea pigs. I wasn't sure if this was sheer bravado or they were serious about wishing to meet up with some long lost country cousin during the afternoon and needed to get away early. Michael got into the rear of a Duo Discus glider, his pilot in front and they were dragged into the air by a Maule - a single-engine, look alike to a Cessna, powerful motor and a light body made of wood and glue. Ray was set aloft in the same manner in the other glider, an Astir.
The gliders dropped their drag line at 3800ft, the Maule returned for another waiting victim as the two brothers fought it out in the skies for supremacy. Each glider must search for its own lift in the thermals. Something as simple as a farmer ploughing his field is enough for these craft to soar higher on the back of the heat rise generated.
Kylie, the young lady who escorted us to and from the airstrip, told of a day when one of the gliders was having difficulty returning to the strip. He saw a farmer doing just that, ploughing the field and began wheeling overhead, round and around, slowly gaining height.
Mercedes Paulini after 30 minutes in the air He was almost at the right height to depart when the tractor stopped and the farmer got out to watch. Needless to say the glider pilot had to make a forced landing in the farmer's field and when the farmer approached him asking why he had landed. The pilot replied "If you had continued to keep ploughing I'd have been home by now!"
Hank Langejans got in a good glide as they managed to gain 600 ft during their 35min run and was all smiles on re entry. Mercedes Paulini had an exceptional flight and was ecstatic with her inaugural leap into the unknown of silent soaring. "Can't wait to do that again!" she cried. Onya Mercy! With that enthusiasm this charming young lady's gonna go places fast. Mike and Kerrie Allsop were taking their first flight in a glider and were thrilled with the experience of effortless soaring. "The longest glide approach I've ever taken was his response!" "Wasn't long enough!" came Kerrie's. Bob Casagrande started gliding many years ago so this was water off a ducks back. His real enjoyment came from enjoying the company while soaking up that good ol' country feeling. Bob certainly set the pace around the zoo on Sunday as he walked the entire park. (I think he was wearing Puma's).
The procession of our pilots soaring around the skies of Narromine continued unabated until all were safely on dry earth. Different stories abounded. Some were up for only a short while as they could not find a thermal with their name on it. Others wielded aloft for quite some time. I found myself in a dogfight with a Japanese fighter glider as the two of us wound ourselves into an ever tightening knot, trying to out do each other in the lift stakes. (We were odds on!) I took a video out the open window for 20 minutes as we fought to the last.
Of course our glider returned to Mother Earth and the other fellow was never to be seen again.
7 of the 12 - the others were gliding! (Probably bought the farm?) That's how it's ending in my memoirs anyway. Chalk another one up for Schofields Flying Club.
David Winter and Wasim Shah enjoyed a guided tour around the museum and were shown into the hangar which housed a Sabre jet and a copy of the Wright Brothers Kitty Hawk which, they remarked, showed them just how far we'd come.
The evening descended with a cool breeze and a cool beer back at the Narromine Gliding Club for chit chat with our hosts. Many a story was embellished, magnified, glorified and finally crucified by both front and back seat pilots with the final outcome that some would return one day for bigger, better or even taller stories and even higher glories.
Saturday evening found us having moved a total distance of 10 metres to the Aero Club Restaurant where ample sized meals were served to what were obviously going to become ample sized pilots. (God help our load sheets in the morning but, selflessly, we pushed on.) Four of the Gliding Club members joined us for dinner so afterwards we all rose and toasted their reception of us neophytes today and thanked them for their hospitality as well!
You can also view a selection of photos taken over the weekend by Club member Mercedes Paulini.
[TO BE CONTINUED...]
Alan Searle
GLAST launched aboard
a Delta II rocket
NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, successfully launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 12:05 p.m. EDT 11th June 2008.
The GLAST observatory separated from the second stage of the Delta II at 1:20 p.m. and the flight computer immediately began powering up the components necessary to control the satellite. Twelve minutes after separating from the launch vehicle, both GLAST solar arrays were deployed. The arrays immediately began producing the power necessary to maintain the satellite and instruments. The operations team continues to check out the spacecraft subsystems.
"The entire GLAST Team is elated the observatory is now on-orbit and all systems continue to operate as planned," said GLAST program manager Kevin Grady of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland.
After a 75-minute flight, the GLAST spacecraft was deployed into low Earth orbit. It will begin to transmit initial instrument data after about three weeks. The telescope will explore the most extreme environments in the universe, searching for signs of new laws of physics and investigating what composes mysterious dark matter. It will seek explanations for how black holes accelerate immense jets of material to nearly light speed, and look for clues to crack the mysteries behind powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts.
"After a 60 day checkout and initial calibration period, we'll begin science operations," said Steve Ritz, GLAST project scientist at Goddard. "GLAST soon will be telling scientists about many new objects to study, and this information will be available on the internet for the world to see."
NASA's GLAST mission is an astrophysics and particle physics partnership, developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, along with important contributions from academic institutions and partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and the U.S.
NARROMINE FLY AWAY 27-28TH SEPTEMBER - PART 2 - BY ALAN SEARLE
Part 2 - Western Plains Zoo - Dubbo - Sunday, 26 September 2008
On Sunday morning, to my surprise, they were all at the stable for breakfast by 7am. Having delayed the cooking of sausages by insisting a pilot needs to digest the weather before brekkie to work out if he has time to go back for seconds, I dutifully threw myself to the task at hand by assisting Jo in the kitchen. Twelve happy, totally spoilt and hand fed patrons of the table were satiated beyond a yolk. I'm not sure that I wasn't in fact propositioned by the time they were full, but insisted I had been spoken for. I just couldn't handle another silly sausage at the table!
The sticking to timetable was becoming clockwork. Having insisted they be at brekkie on time at 7 am, the first engine leapt to life spot on 8am as planned.
Twelve in a minibus en route from
Dubbo airport to Western Plains Zoo There they were again, those Hand brothers, champing at the bit with pre flies blowing left and right of them. Remember that bit about those boys wanting to glide early because they had to get to see their cousin? I think I just got 'HANDled' by two of the best. They actually stuck like glue to the airstrip all bloody arvo. Couldn't drag themselves away. "Well, she's just a cousin of mine" sang in my ears all night. "Sheer bravado", I say!
Dubbo airfield opened wide her doors, sat us down on the GA seat and we all climbed aboard the Magic Bus, to whisk 12 overgrown kiddies to see the cute animals at the Western Plains Zoo. Gee I wish I was 10 again. Mind you, some of the animals on the bus were just as much fun.
Lots of ooh'h and ah's were heard from outside the compounds of these brutes. Kerrie insisted on seeing the black long armed monkeys with Mike on a short leash dragging his knuckles behind him. Wayne couldn't help himself as he noted the lion flat on his back in the sun, legs sprawled apart sunning the best parts. "Has he no pride", I chided, but all that invited was another raised finger from his majesty .At the Koala compound, furtive looks from the koalas searching for the next smiling politician went unheeded as most of us were dressed in politically incorrect attire. Sorry Wayne!
Three hours later the kids had grown up and tired so we bade our little animal friends farewell. I tried to slip a giraffe onto the bus unseen but it kept tripping the boom gate every time we tried to leave so we had to give it back but I'm sure we escaped with a cute Platypus somewhere up in the back rows. Thanks Wayne!
Having arrived unscathed, complete with limbs "a gangling" back at Dubbo Airfield, we took ourselves off to the Dubbo Flying Club where we had been invited to partake in a fine afternoon of sausage sizzle and Coke while we digested the weather report which had us tracking to Bankstown by desire but blowing off course to Norfolk Island by an ill wind.
Elephant should be served with
a light dusting of red earth After much ruminating of navel telepathy, mixed with Vaseline vacillations and consultation with the Sunday Herald Horoscope we tallied forth totally informed, to the skies above. Thanks Dubbo Flying Club for your hospitality!
Record speeds were being broken with every gust. I'm doing 170 came one call. I've got 162 so far, came another. 'Mongrel!' I'm at the wrong height came another. In technical terms, "we had a 35kt wind up our arse." White skinned darts were humping it back home.
However, just when we thought how clever we were for beating King Neptune's breath, now no longer at 7500 at breakneck speed but in fact down to 100kts at 1500ft on approach to Prospect, a wolf wind grabbed us by the tail and shook us in his jaws like a defenceless rabbit. I think what happened was that we had run into a pressure wall of extreme turbulence which made the instruments go wild but somehow nothing really changed. Do things like this happen over a matter of minutes or is it all over in 5 seconds? I couldn't tell, but the story will grow, I promise. A few bumped heads were all we heard from every one although I hear the hard head of Nelson may require some re trim. Moments later we all greased home like slick black hair. (Didn't we?)
It had been a marvellous weekend of friendly company, new experiences and lofty dreams where some I'm sure will one day return as "The call of the Wild" sparkles in their eye once more. Narromine proved to be a brilliant springboard for those who wish to pursue further with gliding, as these boys out there shoot for 300, 500 and even 1000 km runs with ne'er a thought for a whirling blade. They slice through the skies so thinly they appear as a razor blade shaving the clouds to shape their dreams.
You can also view a selection of photos taken over the weekend by Club member Mercedes Paulini.
Alan Searle
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
"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important" (Bertrand Russell).
Latrodectus
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