July-August 2024

Australian Flying

Australia's premier General Aviation magazine

Australian Flying3 min read
Birds Of A Feather
Spring always brings me a sense of foreboding; sometimes it pretends to be summer and throws us a thirty-degree day, other times it dips back to winter, sending me scrambling for my scarf. I find spring’s erratic nature confusing. Winter, of course,
Australian Flying1 min read
Australian Flying
Editor: Kreisha Ballantyne kreishaballantyne@yaffa.com.au Editor-at-large: Steve Hitchen Senior Contributor: Paul Southwick National Sales Manager: Andrew Murphy, 17-21 Bellevue Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010. Tel: (02) 9213 8272, andrewmurphy@yaffa.c
Australian Flying2 min read
Federal Government Extends And Expands ADS-B Rebate
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King announced yesterday that the rebate for fitting ADS-B systems to VFR aircraft would be extended and expanded. Speaking in the aftermath of Tuesday night’
Australian Flying2 min read
Antiquers Celebrate 50 Years
Barry Bell was the founder of this group, forming a voice to the government for all antique and classic aircraft owner-operators. The collective consider themselves the custodians of many historically significant aircraft throughout Australia. They a
Australian Flying2 min read
CASA considers Fast Track for Foreign Engineers
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is considering recognising overseas engineer qualifications to combat skills shortages in Australia. CASA Director of Aviation Safety and CEO Pip Spence said in the April CASA Briefing newsletter published yesterda
Australian Flying2 min read
Government Allocates More Funding For Regional And Remote Airports
Both the Remote Airstrips Upgrade Program (RAUP) and the Regional Airports Program (RAP) are set to continue after the government allocated more funding from the Federal Budget. Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local G
Australian Flying1 min read
CASA certifies Cessna’s SkyCourier
Textron Aviation announced this week that CASA had issued a type certificate for the C408 SkyCourier, paving the way for the aircraft to be delivered to Australian customers. CASA approval comes only three months after Cairns-based Hinterland Aviatio
Australian Flying2 min read
AAAA Welcomes $35 Million Injection For Fireflighting
Aerial Application Association of Australia (AAAA) CEO Matt Harper has welcomed the announcement that the government will spend $35 million over the next two years supporting aerial firefighting through the National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC)
Australian Flying2 min read
CASA Seeks Feedback On New Ballina Proposal
CASA’s Office of Airspace Regulation has published a new airspace design for Ballina-Byron that proposes Class C airspace over the airport from 4500-8500 feet. The proposal comes as both CASA and Airservices Australia prepared for Ballina-Byron Gatew
Australian Flying2 min read
AirMail
Class 5 is here and I’ve been waiting. I have an RPL from before and maybe a Class 5 Medical would allow me to travel with all my RAAus polished skills but with a bit more margin. More fuel, more baggage, more bum room. An emailed link from a reputab
Australian Flying9 min read
Around The World In A Mooney
“It wasn’t our first big trip; we had been to the North America in 2014 and to South America in 2017/2018”, says Gunter. “In 2017, when we were planning our South America trip, we thought about flying to Australia instead. Back then, we decided to fl
Australian Flying9 min read
Agent Of Change
The Naked Racer is a unique cafe; you get to have burgers and chicken salads served to you whilst you sit surrounded by motorcycles and flying instructors. It’s an odd mix that comes from the cafe being sited only a few metres from the western bounda
Australian Flying9 min read
The Magnificent Seven
It’s a two-edged sword being the market leader. No matter what you do, or how innovative you are, some people still want more. You can’t please all the people all the time. In aviation this would be a recipe for disaster. It’s important to distinguis
Australian Flying8 min read
From Childhood Wonder to Aviation Icon
As the roar of B-17s and P-38 Lightnings pierced the skies of North Queensland, marking the twilight of World War II, a young boy from Innisfail watched in awe. The world was changing dramatically—the atomic bomb had just been dropped on Hiroshima. A
Australian Flying9 min read
A Report For The Ages
It is said that the night is darkest right before the dawn, that the break of day brings new hope and opportunity. General aviation in Australia was in a dark place in 2014, and for the community the dawn came when then Safeskies chairman David Forsy
Australian Flying9 min read
The Amazing Avro
The all-wood, rotary-engine powered Avro 504 of 1913 was developed into the Avro 504K by the close of World War One. Several hundred 504s came on to the British civil register postwar as joyride and training aircraft. A small number of these found th
Australian Flying9 min read
The Right Worms
If I were a fisherman, which I’m not, I would exhort fellow piscators, via the Best Bait Buyers’ Bulletin, to use the right worms. As an instructor I now beg you to use the right words – always. Some time ago I saved four lives, one being mine, befor
Australian Flying3 min read
Rotors
Dave Soderstrom brings us an update from the world of helicopters. The development of Airbus Helicopters’ Racer compound demonstrator has made some significant progress in its development program. The aircraft’s flight envelope fully opened up to 165
Australian Flying3 min read
RPL(A) Exam Considered Dangerous
This short article is based around the issue of passing CASA exams. If you’re a new pilot looking to skirt the issue, at least at the moment, the RA-Aus RPC allows you to convert to RPL(A) without having to sit the infamous RPL(A) exam. Before I go f
Australian Flying5 min read
On The Cusp Of Transformation
A range of forces are coming together that both demand change and offer opportunities for growth and new services for regional aviation in Australia. These forces are at work across aviation, not just in Australia, but around the world. New aviation
Australian Flying3 min read
A Portal to Safety
Our aim is to make it quicker to search for the information you need, easier to submit many of the documents we once processed manually and more convenient to access products offered through our online store. We’re using technology to help us keep ou
Australian Flying4 min read
Head In The Clouds
About six months ago I managed to score myself a new Lightspeed Delta Zulu headset, if you must know, from Oshkosh. I paid my own hard-earned for it – no sponsorship or freebies here. My boss was in the States and he grabbed one for me from their sta
Australian Flying3 min read
G700 Type Certification Sets Up A Battle For Ultra-long-range Market Share
The announcement came after delays from the regulator, with many speculating that the FAA was exercising greater scrutiny, possibly influenced by the aftermath of the 737-800MAX crisis. In a nod to this sentiment, Gulfstream president, Mark Burns com
Australian Flying6 min read
Who Is Pilot In Command?
Date and time: 20 January 2017 at about 1447Z Occurrence type: Accident Aircraft registration: ZS-JBE Aircraft model: Beechcraft Bonanza F33A Last Point of departure: Hoedspruit (FAHS) Point of intended landing: Hoedspruit Airport Location of acciden
Australian Flying4 min read
A Bush Adventure
I was so excited we were on an aeroplane; a real aeroplane! We were going to live in this place called Derby. In the seats in front, my mum and little sister were in tears, which I found very confusing as this was a great adventure. Poor dad, his wor
Australian Flying3 min read
Decking the Hall
AAHOF’s biggest handicap is that no-one in the general public arena knows it’s there. Almost secreted upstairs at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) building at Shellharbour Airport, the hall of fame has no external signage, getting i

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