may 2015 - royal aero club of western australia constraints. aviation regulatory matters are...

www.royalaeroclubwa.com.au

Official Publication of the Royal Aero Club of Western

Australia (Inc.)

May 2015http://www.royalaeroclubwa.com.auAustralia $4.00 (Inc. GST)

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ISSN 1833-6116

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Contacts

In This Issue Deadlines

Main Office & Operations:41 Eagle Drive, Jandakot Airport, JANDAKOT, W.A. 6164Phones: 08 9417 0000Fax: 08 9417 0040Email: [email protected]: www.royalaeroclubwa.com.au

Flickr: Royal Aero Club WATwitter: www.twitter.com/royalaeroclubwaFacebook: www.facebook.com/royalaeroclubwa

Murrayfield Operations: Lakes Road,NAMBEELUP, W.A., 6210Phone: 08 9581 6222Fax: 08 9583 3922Email: [email protected]

Racwa Team Members: General Manager: David CurreyClub Secretary: David CurreyCFI (IFR) / Chief Pilot: Trevor JonesCFI (VFR) Rob PedriCFI (IT) / Murrayfield: John Douglas Chief Engineer: Glen Caple Operations Manager: Rick EnnisOIC Murrayfield: Michael Chlopek

Tarmac Topics: Publisher: The Royal Aero Club of

Western Australia (Inc.) 19 537 624 305

Editor: [email protected] / Advertising Manager:

Shelley Cruden Ph. 0423 892 084 [email protected]

Printer: Mike Severn (Success Print) Ph. 9279 3214 [email protected]

CommitteeAndrew Eldridge

President: 0438 220 703 or 08 9221 4336 [email protected]

Mitchell Wells Vice President: 0400 700 824 [email protected]

Steve Wilson Treasurer: 0407 772 324 [email protected]

Craig Hensley Club Captain: 0439 528 733 [email protected]

Marco Surace Director: 0467 791 537 [email protected]

Linda Maule Director 0411 480 909 [email protected]

Rod Garnaut Director: 0411 700 336 [email protected]

Martin Jones Director: 0407 033 737 [email protected]

Rachel George: Director: 0418 957 225 To Advertise

Disclaimer

Cover Photo: Flying the Dawn Patrol over the State War Memorial for the Centenary of Anzac Day. Photo: Paul Falconer-West

The views expressed in TARMAC TOPICS are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of Racwa, nor does it automatically endorse products advertised. Racwa retains the right to reject or edit submissions for publication to conform with Racwa policies or due to space constraints. Aviation regulatory matters are mentioned as general information only - readers should obtain the current status immediately before flight operations. No responsibility is taken for any loss or damage suffered by any person or entity attributed to the content of any article or advertisement published in this magazine. Reproduction of material published in this magazine is permitted after approval has been obtained from the Publisher of Tarmac Topics, and on the condition the article/photo source is acknowledged.

Advertise in Tarmac Topics now. For details, check http://www.royalaeroclubwa.com.au or contact Shelley Cruden on 0423 892 084 or [email protected].

FeaturesVale Shirley Adkins 6Life - Be In It 7In the Industry 8Anzac Day 9Well Done 10Come and Help 11All Pilots are Different 12Adventures 13Our Club 14

Regular ItemsContact Us 2News 3What's On? 4Around The Club 5On A Lighter Note 15

The deadline for receiving articles and photos for the following month's edition is the 17th of each month.

PatronHer Excellency Kerry Sanderson AO


Dear Members,This month we mourn the passing of Shirley Adkins - an aviation icon in Australia and one of

the greatest contributors in the history of our Club. Shirley began working at the Club as a young lady, doing office work. She learned to fly at the Club, and over time became more and more involved, contributing to the fabric and life of the Club in many ways. It was inevitable that someone with her drive and passion would ultimately become President, where she displayed tenacity, vision and great loyalty to the Club. Shirley went on to preside over both the Australian Women's Pilots Association and the Royal Federation of Aero Clubs of Australia, and her hard work and dedication were rewarded with the prestigious Oswald Watt Medal and an Order of Australia Medal. Those of us lucky enough to see Shirley in action in her heyday will remember a vivacious and highly motivated leader, whose enthusiasm was infectious. Shirley always had a friendly and encouraging word for anyone. Shirley's involvement at the Club spans approximately 70 years. We will miss her. We send our condolences and best wishes to Reg, and sons Alwyn and Neil.Each year the Royal Federation of Aero Clubs of Australia holds its annual conference, and I was lucky enough to attend this year's conference in Echuca. The Club was represented by John Douglas, Trevor Jones, David Currey and me. One of the joys of being a pilot is having a good reason to fly somewhere, and there are few better than representing a flying club at a flying conference. David and I took the opportunity to fly Mooney JXC to the event. President Marj Davis-Gillespie stood down at last year's conference, but stepped up to the plate when the President's position was suddenly and unexpectedly vacated. It has been particularly difficult for Marj who lost her partner Ian Gillespie only a few weeks ago. Congratulations to Marj for organising an excellent conference at short notice under difficult conditions.The first half day of the conference was taken up with procedural matters and technical discussions, giving all the participating clubs an opportunity to share their experiences and concerns, and determine a consensus position on matters to be raised later in the conference. After this, the attendees were treated to an outstanding array of guest speakers, including Air Chief Marshall Sir Angus Houston AK AFC, and CASA's Director of Aviation Safety, Mark Skidmore AM.Sir Angus Houston spoke about the importance of vision and leadership in establishing a safety culture. Prior to his tenure in the RAAF, there was resigned acceptance that accidents were bound to happen - that they were an unavoidable consequence of military flight. Since then, the RAAF has changed its ethos, so that safety has become the essence of how they operate, and accidents and fatalities have fallen dramatically - even in combat.

Onwards and Upwards

Greg Hood from AirServices Australia spoke of a program to reduce the number of ground-based navaids to a minimum over the coming years. GNSS will be relied on more heavily as a primary means of navigation, however a set of carefully selected navaids will be retained to provide a fall-back if satellite navigation is not possible for any reason. ADS-B will be mandatory for IFR operations from 2017 (2016 in WA), enabling greater volumes of traffic in non-radar environments. New traffic management techniques such as "constant descent approaches" are being implemented to make RPT more efficient.CASA's new Director, Mark Skidmore was direct and honest and gave reassurance that he will be responsive to the needs of industry. He acknowledged the problems we are encountering with the implementation of Parts 61 and 141/142. He is attempting to redefine the culture within CASA based on four key "C" principles: Communication, Cost-reduction, reducing Complexity, and creating Consistency. He reassured the group that CASA had developed an implementation plan for the recommendations of the Aviation Safety Regulation Review, completed in 2014. He stated that this plan was also embedded in CASA's Corporate Plan. The group discussed a number of problematic regulations with Roger Crosthwaite, Manager, Flight Crew Licensing. We were then lucky enough to hear a number of educational presentations from the Bureau of Meteorology, ATSB, and AMSA. One of the significant changes we can expect in the next year or so will be the introduction of Graphical Area Forecasts, which will provide more frequent and detailed wind and weather forecasts along a flight path. Racwa's ex-CFI Roger Weeks, who is CASA's Senior Manager Operations Strategy, made a presentation to the group, answering many of the questions related to the new Part 141 and 142 regulations. After the conference, the Wings competition (against New Zealand) and the Australian Light Aircraft Championships were held. Australia won the Wings, thanks to expert flying by our own Rod Garnaut. Although Racwa did not win the Federation Trophy, we acquitted ourselves very well, with Jim Di Menna winning the Forced Landing event, and Rod Garnaut winning the Individual trophy. The Federation acknowledged the hard work and commitment of our very own General Manager, David Currey, with a Federation Award. Congratulations David and thank you for your efforts.

Andrew Eldridge. President

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May 7 Night Comp #117 YMUL Comp - HMAS Murrayfield18 IREX course starts18 CPL Systems course starts19 Aviation Workshop Evening - next in June20 CASA AvSafety Seminar24 Racwa Open Day25 IREX course starts27 CPL Aerodynamics course starts31 YPJT Comp

Later4 June Night Comp #28 June CPL Meteorology course starts14 June YMUL Comp16 June CPL Navigation course starts16 June Aviation Workshop Evening28 June YPJT Comp29 June PPL course starts2 July Night Comp #312 July Inter Club Comp13 July CPL Human Factors course starts21 July CPL Flight Performance & Loading

course starts

Coming Events

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2015 -Safe Skies for AllCASA AvSafety Seminar

4 Interacting with CASA 4 Q&A regarding Licensing regulations 4 CASA resources available 4 Ageing Aircraft Management Program 4 Airservices safety issues - communicating with ATC 4 ATSB issues - Safetywatch 4 BOM issues - Graphical Area forecast and TAF review

Wednesday May 20th, 2015Upstairs at Racwa

30 July CPL Air Law course starts7 September CPL Systems course starts14 September IREX course starts15 September CPL Navigation course starts23 September CPL Aerodynamics course starts2 October CPL Meteorology course starts19 October PPL course starts10 November CPL Flight Performance & Loading

course starts19 November CPL Human Factors course starts21 November Warbirds Downunder, Temora

Regular EventsMurrayfield Comp 2nd Sunday of the monthAviation Workshop Evening - 3rd Tuesday of the monthFormation Friday - Last Friday of the monthIndustry Presentation - Last Friday of the monthOld Fliers Group - Last Friday of the monthJandakot Challenge - Last Sunday of the month

IREX

MAY 25Evening Courses

6pm-9pmMay 24 - June 5

www.waaviationcollege.com.au

(08) 9417 0000

Breakfast 8.30 Briefing 9.00

Fly @ 9.30

Register online – [email protected]


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New instructors Hugh Sterle, (top left), Alex Fiorentino (top right), Cam Williams (above) and Michael Kidd (right)

Prooud Commercial Pilots Michael Lovie (top), Daniel Ramshaw, (right) & Kassee Hutchinson (above)

Max Ludwig is so pleased to be out of the "playpen" after passing his Private Pilot's Licence

In keeping with the many changes in and around the Club this year, including the continuing upgrading of our fleet and a renewed sense of energy and optimism, a new venue has been chosen for the 2015 Wings Presentation Dinner.

We hope that you will save Friday, 11 September and join us at the Crown Perth for an evening of 5 star dining and opulence as we come together to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the Club and our industry and to the pilots who have achieved their flying goals over the past 12 months.

Further details will be announced in next month’s issue.

SAVE THE DATE - WINGS PRESENTATION DINNER -

Friday 11 September 2015

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Shirley Adkins OAMOn April 22nd, 2015

we were saddened to hear of the passing

of dear Shirley in her 85th year, peacefully at home.Shirley was exceptional in the way she lived her life and her devotion to our Club and aviation in Australia.Her early involvement was at Maylands as a young office girl and there she met Reg, one of the Instructors. Marriage and family life kept her busy so it was not until the late 60’s that Shirley got back to flying and Aero Club life. She was an exceptional

pilot, flying everything from her Tiger Moth to twins. She once jumped out of an aircraft under her own canopy.It was her other skills that led her to the Aero Club administration, Club Committee and President of RACWA. The Club made real progress under her term as President, flying record hours and expanding the fleet. Shirley has been President of the Australian Women Pilots’ Association, both state and federal and her most significant role was that of President of the Royal Federation of Aero Clubs, a position she held for many years. She was never afraid to stand up for the rights of the Aero Club movement in Australia and often had some tense battles with other dignitaries who wanted to sink the Federation and its principles. Shirley was well known to the heads of CASA, Members and Ministers of Parliament and other Heads of State. Shirley and Reg owned a Cessna 140 and later a Tiger Moth and flew them in all the state Air Races and trials over the years. Shirley and friends, Helen and Kerry flew in the 1976 Perth –

Sydney Air Race and won first place in the ladies section, flying the Club's new C172 VH-RWW and story has it, she passed a C182 inbound to Adelaide. Her team entered a Mooney VH-AKF in the 1988 Round Australia Air Race and again was well placed.Shirley has been awarded the Oswald Watt Gold Medal, the highest award in Australia for achievement in aviation, the Federation Award for services to the Aero Club movement and the OAM for services to aviation.Shirley has represented Australia at conferences of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale in various locations overseas.We used to call her Maggie Thatcher for her iron woman approach to getting things done. I was talking with Chief Engineer, Glen Caple and he said there will never be another Shirley.Shirley was a passionate member of our Club and was never happier than when meeting and sharing flying with the members and discussing the very large range of aircraft that she was qualified to fly. At a ceremony on Dec 10 2008 Shirley was granted the” Freedom of The Club” and had Tiger VH-CKF, which She and Reg previously owned, named after her.Shirley and Reg will always be remembered for their togetherness, enthusiasm and loyalty to our Club. Thank you Shirley – Well done and may you rest in peace.

John Douglas

Gift vouchers for hands-on trial flights, scenic flights and even Tiger Moth joyflights out of Murrayfield airstrip in Mandurah are

now available online!

shop.royalaeroclubwa.com.auThe perfect gift idea for Christmas

Fly Locally.

Discounted rates for Murrayfield Aerodrome, Lakes Rd Nambeelup. Tiger Moth Joyflights subject to strict availability & for a limited time only. Ph (08) 9581 6222


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What's All The Fuss About?LIFE - B

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May 2015

As Alwyn Adkins said at Shirley's funeral, Mum would be wondering what all the fuss is about" and that was definitely the

case both at the funeral and afterwards at the Celebration of her life held at Racwa.A slideshow depicting many parts of Shirley's life was on show, while members told their stories and many thoughts and memories of Shirley abounded.

Goldfish, humpty, saw tooth, “P” loop and tail slide are but some of the imaginative manoeuvres of the advanced aerobatic pilot. Club member Dieter Ebling treated the April

aviation workshop to the world of aerobatics.Dieter has recently returned from the World Aerobatic Championships that were held in South Africa. Dieter won the unlimited category and came second overall – a huge accomplishment.“An aerobatic pilot always chases perfection but never actually achieves the elusive 100%”, said Dieter, “That is the main reason we come back and try again.”Dieter explained the various categories of aerobatic flight, from the

entry level through to the unlimited level. The Cessna 152 is an ideal aircraft to learn basic aerobatics, and the WA Aerobatics championships have recently introduced a A152 class to encourage Club members to participate in this sport.

Aerobatics TrainingPrior to competitors taking to the skies, they perform the aerobic dance on the ground as the walk through the sequence they are about to fly. One of the advantages of aerobatics is the cost, as each aerobatic flight in a competition is only 10 to 15 minutes long.An aerobatics rating will enhance a pilot’s skills give the pilot a far better “feel” of the aircraft. It also gives our members another excuse to have fun.The newly introduced Decathlon can perform a number of advanced aerobatic manoeuvres that are not possible in our Cessna 152 models. Members considering an aerobatics rating, or want to upgrade their existing skills, should contact Charlee Hateley on [email protected] and we will contact you to organise your training.

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“Six months ago I would have advised you to find your first job in charter up North like I did, but with new Part 61 regulations, an instructor’s rating is worth its weight

in gold. You won’t progress to anything higher than a line pilot without one.”This was just one of the pearls of wisdom Stuart Burns, CEO of Complete Aviation Services (CasAir) left for the students at the Industry Presentation on Friday April 24, which included a guided tour of their Merlin IIC.Stuart’s aviation career began from humble beginnings when he watched aerial spraying of the paddocks of his family’s farm in Cunderdin and Hyden. Making his way up north to work as a charter pilot during the late 80’s pilot dispute, Stuart focused on the tourist market to help build his hours.After purchasing a Navajo and in his words “committing to aviation after selling my soul to a bank loan” Stuart set up his company CasAir, an airfreight and executive charter company in 1992. “The most interesting part about operating a charter company is that you never know the next place you could be going or when you’re going or what you could be taking- it’s always different, which makes it an art form.” CasAir is an all-weather, commercial operation that is normally carried out by a single pilot in IFR conditions; the pilot also doubles as the one who loads and unloads the freight. Stuart’s favourite type of freight is special freight - “it could be a single part that shuts an entire mine site down, from a helicopter blade to the smallest drill bit, and we supply this service transferring such goods to remote areas.” Stuart then touched on regulatory reform and where he believes the direction of the aviation industry is headed. “A syllabus can teach us how to fly, but it cannot teach us how to be a pilot,” said

Stuart. “I believe that Part 61’s threat and error management is an effort to legislate common sense. Common sense comes from knowledge and experience, which comes from doing things for a long time. Rules are rules and CASA has put a large emphasis on safety, which is exactly what you want from your regulatory body.” Stuart was very commendable regarding CASA’s efforts but one significant change in Part 61 that has shifted the game was the requirement for check and training captains to have an instructor’s rating. This will have a significant impact on pilot career progression. “With the new part 61,

an instructor’s rating is worth it’s weight in gold. If you don’t have an instructor rating it means you can never progress to check and training captain and let’s be honest, that’s where the big bucks are.”New commercial pilots should expect tough times ahead, Stuart said, when speaking about attaining employment in the industry. With the mining boom beginning to dry out and the relatively small Australian population, most jobs exist in the international market. South East Asia is continuing to explode with aviation jobs.Stuart’s advice when it comes to the interview stage: 4 Be exceptional; you have to stand out from a lot of similar candidates.

4 Present as a professional. 4 Most people who are new to commercial flying do not have much experience so the interview panel will not expect you to have all the answers. I’ve been flying for 25 years and I still don’t have them all.

4 There is no such thing as a stupid question, especially when the answer to that question could help you progress, or fix a problem you could be having.

4 When they ask you “what questions do you have for us?” Your answer should always be: “How do you carry out training me on your fleet?” and “What does it take for me to progress to captain?” It shows you’re willing to learn and it shows you want to progress.

4 Know your flight manuals, know the numbers; they’ll question you in the interview about what you should know about the aircraft you claim to have flown.

Finally, Stuart gave advice about progressing in your career: 4 Get 2000 flying hours as quickly as possible; this can be done via the instructor or charter route (preferably as an instructor with new Part 61 amendments).

4 Get your ATPL early- you can’t be a First Officer without it. 4 Don’t let your personal standards slip and don’t be afraid to say no. “In the past, when it came to bush work the rule book sometimes lived in the bottom draw, and a new pilot could be asked to bend the rules – never let your standards be compromised! Those who take short cuts will struggle to get ahead, keep your standards high and your personal discipline will drive your career forward.”

4 Don’t kid yourself, the world doesn’t owe you anything. “What you do, do it for yourself, otherwise it won’t happen.”


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ANZAC Day 2015This ANZAC Day marked the 100th anniversary of the

event. Growing up in the UK in the early 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, I had very little idea of what an ANZAC was.

This soon changed not long after my arrival in Australia at the beginning of April 1977.I was taught, advised, disciplined even, that these soldiers from 1915 – a lifetime ago – had given their all in the cause of freedom. Coming from England, a country that has realistically been on a war footing for more than two thousand years, it was not hard for me to understand the respect that had been given to this relatively small band

of predominately Australian and New Zealand troops. I still had no idea of how that sacrifice had manifested itself. The advent of realistic and sometimes graphic media presentations over the last 35 years have served to remedy the problem.I am not ashamed to admit, that I’m glad it wasn’t me. That it wasn’t me who had to face the long tedious and sometimes arduous journey to the “front”, or me who endured the hardship of watching mates fall around me. That it wasn’t me who suffered the doubt as to whether I would ever see my loved ones again. And so it goes on.I’m sure these events have been commemorated by Racwa in years gone by, however, after the turn of this century, Racwa member Glenn Darlington a former Army Major turned pilot, requested that, as a mark of respect, we may like to perform a fly-past of the Kings Park War Memorial (KPWM) as close as possible to the Dawn Service as was legally allowed. I say ‘legally’, because the Tiger Moths used for this event had to wait for first light and at least 15 minutes flying time, to achieve their objective. First light is given on NAIPS as 2218 24042015 (local: 0618, 25/04/2015) in Perth.This we did, and have been doing so annually since that time, weather permitting. Today we did it again. Barry Markham in VH-NOV, Clark Rees in VH-BTP and myself in VH-FAS mustered at Racwa with our aircraft, for a briefing at 0550 and departure at 0615. This meant getting up at 0330, submitting a flight plan, getting ready, travelling to Jandakot and readying our aircraft prior to briefing and departure.My passenger, Paul Falconer-West, was the ‘armstrong starter’. We departed from Jandakot at 0618 and joined Rod Edwards from Serpentine in his Boeing Stearman just south of Fremantle. After passing overhead Fremantle Memorial, we again showed our respect by flying across the Kings Park War Memorial a couple of times. We couldn’t help but be amazed at the number of people gathered on the ground.We headed west and Barry returned to Jandakot alone, as pre-arranged. Tracking northwards & performing holding patterns over the northern suburbs to kill a bit of time (no doubt waking some residents up – sorry!) till 0700 where we executed another flypast overhead the Osborne Park R.S.L. returning to Jandakot via Observation City (OBC) and Powerhouse (POWR) for a well earned cup of coffee and to thaw out from the chill of the flight.

Mick Harcourt

I attended the Osborne Park Anzac Day commemoration service on Saturday.Just want to pass on my appreciative comments to you and the Club regarding the Tiger fly-past during the ceremony. It was excellent and I thought it really added something to the morning. The numbers attending were (perhaps not surprisingly were well

up on normal). So please pass on my thanks to those who were involved.John Murray, Lecturer, Aviation Discipline,Edith Cowan University

This Anzac Day was very different for us. Beginning at 7am we arrived at Murray Field to prepare for the hop to Jandakot, where we were to be teamed up with 15 other aircraft for a formation flight over the City.

After a briefing in the Royal Aero Club we departed for Fremantle. As planned, we took off in pairs, positioning ourselves at number 6 in the formation en-route. From there we followed the river (Victor 65) to fly over the City shortly before the beginning of The March.The weather was perfect for sightseeing. Perth was brilliant in the morning sun, but the easterly over the Escarpment made for a few “potholes in the road”. The sight of so many other aircraft so close to us in the air was something to remember.As we left the formation at Fremantle to return to Murray Field, the silhouettes of 15 aircraft against the sunlight reflecting off the Swan River was awesome.

John and Fran Hewitt

A New View of ANZAC Day

Thank You

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A Warm Welcome to our New Members,

and Congratulations Achievers New MembersBen French, Santiago Belaus, Michael Wouters, Byron Foster, Liam Gibb, Stephen Fountain, Matthew Cabala, Ronald Mathieson, David Hartree, Ryan Mills, Andrew Moe

First SoloIan Loveday, Bianca Goddard, Sarel Breet

RPLMatthew Vance, Liam McMahon

PPLMaximilian Ludwig, Broxon Brookfield

CPLDaniel Ramshaw, Michael Lovie, Benjamin Lardner, Myles Niutta, Kierra-Leanna Hutchinson

Night VFR RatingLewis Adams

Flight Instructor RatingMichael Kidd, Alexander Fiorentino, Cameron Williams, Hugh Sterle

Achievers Taylor Sibbritt-PettitTaylor Sibbritt-Pettit caught the flying bug when his twin brother Fraser took him for a flight. Taylor and Fraser’s grandfather Ray Brindley used to fly with Racwa in 1936, so flying is in both Taylor and Fraser’s blood.Taylor began training at Racwa at the end of 2012, and by July 2013 had decided a career in aviation was for him and enrolled in the college’s full time integrated course. “I’d recommend the integrated approach to anyone wanting to become a career orientated pilot, simply because it’s full time and disciplined, which means you don’t forget anything” said Taylor. He suffered a minor setback to his training due to an injury but spurred on by his motivating instructor Ben Jackson and receiving an RFACA scholarship, Taylor’s hard work paid off and he became a qualified Commercial Pilot.Taylor begins his Instructor Training with Racwa in May and dreams of working in Dubai for Emirates. Congratulations Taylor, we wish you all the best for your instructor course and your future career in aviation.

Andrew Moore

In 1995, I walked to an enormous Cessna 152, put on a huge headset and flew away. I was two years old, couldn’t reach the rudder pedals or the top of the reception desk and this vast world of aviation was only beginning for me. My Dad had just passed his GFPT and somehow convinced my Mum that I should be his first passenger. We flew all

over the state seeing some of the best parts of WA, while avoiding those horrible 14 hr drives. After a few years with no local flying companions and life getting in the way - Dad’s flying declined. In 2012, I went to the Mandurah boat show and won 10 hours of free flying, but instead of the relatively cheap, efficient and fast mode of travel that is the airplane - I was fortunate to win the hours in the insect known as a Robinson R22 helicopter. I didn’t continue with the chopper, partially due to needing a crow bar to pry my 6'7" frame in and out of the beast! That didn’t matter though - in those short hours I had rekindled the love of aviation for my father and me, and two weeks later did lesson one ‘effect of controls’ in a less than enormous sized Cessna 152. I juggled full time university with part time training at Racwa over the next 2 years, and my weekends evaporated between flying with my Dad or training.I trained with Kieran Tansey and the pocket-sized and turbo charged instructor Ashley Hawton. Ash, a workaholic and a barely contained ball of energy, really knew how to teach. He religiously followed the technique of “I don’t care what your dad taught you, my way is better”- and was mostly right.My affection grew for the punchy VH-TNO and I flew my first solo in it on December 9, 2013. I discovered my first flight

in 1995 was also in TNO! The amazing views or the feeling from nailing a landing is great, but nothing comes close to the excitement when people are interested and keen to hear of your flight experiences. It doesn’t matter if they're student or commercial pilots - the endless support from the aviation community is always there. I've now achieved my PPL and Dad announced he's buying a Van’s RV-7A, a kit plane capable of a 160kt cruise, 200kt VNE and aerobatics in the -3g to +6g range - it will surely test my flying ability. With this plane begins a new chapter of my aviation story where I can continue to share my love of flying and learning. No doubt I will be back at Racwa soon, getting my aerobatics, CSU, or tailwheel endorsement. Who knows maybe one day I will fly my son in TNO and watch him go flight crazy like the rest of us.


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of flying. Not only will it be a lot of fun but will also give Murrayfield a well needed plug during prime radio time.We are also in discussions with Mandurah Boat and Car Cruise club and Cirrus for display days at Murrayfield. An exciting prospect - we will keep you posted.Students are busy at Murrayfield, but sadly member private hire is still down. In order to increase hours at Murrayfield, we need your help. Come down and take advantage of the discounted prices, the Mooney special and the diverse fleet we have here. If the hours grow, Murrayfield can grow. The next stage is to construct a driveway and hangars. We need your support.Keep an eye on the “Murrayfield Bit” in the weekly club emails. If you don’t receive this email, let the Jandakot cashier know and they will have you added. This is the most effective way to keep you in the loop about Murrayfield and other club activities.Take care..

Michael Chlopek, OIC Murrayfield

Murrayfield MattersHello everyone.

Yet another busy month for Murrayfield. Although we

started off a little wet, April has shown us some of the best flying weather experienced in the Peel Region.

Our new signs have been erected. I would like to extend my gratitude to members John Ridgway, Tim Smale and James Murphy for digging the holes, making the brackets and screwing the screws. We could not have asked for a better job. The signs are already making an impact with walk-ins commenting on “how they saw the sign”. Pictures are below but I invite everyone to come down and have a look. I would love your feedback. Along with the new signs, early April has seen our 09/27 gravel runway graded and levelled. It has been approximately 13 years since its last grade. After a day of work the runway was unrecognisable.While the Instructor Training came to a close in early April, the hours were made up by the bi-annual Air Force Cadet

flying camp. Nearly 120 hours were completed over a week where 11 of 12 cadets completed their first solo. A separate story has been included in this issue. Congratulations to all the cadets who attended.Shortly, Murrayfield and I will be playing host to the Breakfast show on 6MM (radio station) for an onsite interview and flight to try and overcome the host’s fear

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It is with great excitement that RACWA will

soon have a Super Decathlon available for members to gain a tail wheel undercarriage design feature

endorsement and also to conduct advanced aerobatics.There are many benefits to having a Tail Wheel Endorsement. It will improve your rudder co-ordination skills assisting with any aircraft you fly and a tail wheel aircraft will also give a greater awareness of crosswind landings! From a personal experience, a Tail Wheel Endorsement assisted me in moving on and getting a job as flying the tiger moth gave me the initial charter experience I needed in the industry. Flying the Decathlon would help budding pilots also prepare for a movement into organisations like the

Benefits of Flying A Tailwheel Aircraft

Department of Parks and Wildlife flying a scout!The Super Decathlon will also give you an opportunity to experience “stick time” unlike the conventional controls in a Cessna and also the opportunity to conduct advanced aerobatics with its 180 BHP engine and the opportunity to fly upside down continuously for 2 minutes!For any enquiries about a tail wheel undercarriage design feature endorsements please do not hesitate to call Racwa and ask to speak to myself or Trevor Jones.

Rob Pedri

STOP PRESS: Super Decathlon onlineAll training at RACWA is competency based. On average, a Tail Wheel Endorsement requires approximately 5 hours of dual training, most of which will be circuits.Members who want to obtain a tail wheel endorsement should register their interest by sending an email to [email protected]

Study TimeMy name is Jacob Moore, I attended the first round

of CPL night school classes and would like to share my experience with you.

Firstly l found this night school perfect for my situation as I was working 4 days a week so that rules out day school for a start. The course is no walk in the park and you have to be prepared to put the hard yards in and sacrifice your weekends and study every spare minute you get, which is what I did. Also I found it really good because it set a pace for me and I tried to sit each exam the week after we had the class on it, this was ok for most of them. I got a little stressed when I failed performance twice and my exams were building up and I really put myself under the pump to catch up. Luckily

on the third attempt I got 94% and then shortly after I sat two exams on the same day and caught up again. I guess if I was in that situation again I'd put that exam to the side and come back to it at the end so I could stay on track with the course. The guys at Racwa/WAAC were really helpful too and if I was struggling with something I made the time to go in and sit down with the instructors and learn it. Sometimes it can be a simple little thing that you are not doing or doing and you may need something to be explained in a different way. To sum this up I think the course was fantastic and I'm looking forward to doing my Comms training now and then on to the ATPLs.

Flying at MurrayfieldTwelve 16 year old cadets, four instructors and four aircraft

called Murrayfield Aerodrome home between Sunday April 12 and Saturday April 18. It was an intensive 6 day

Australian Air Force Cadets (AAFC) camp that took the students from knowing only the basics about aircraft to flying first solo. Stationed at Stirling Naval Base, an average day for the cadets would begin with a 6am wake up call, 6:30 breakfast in the mess hall, a commute to Murrayfield, two lessons back to back, dinner at 6:15 and night school till 9pm.“The camp is a complete immersion into flying training. It’s intense, but it’s worth it when we get Cadets to solo in less than 10 hours” said Joe Howell, one of the 4 instructors who helped

out over the 6 days. Joe is a qualified flying instructor at Racwa. He flies for 1 day a week and works as Parts Manager in the hangar for the rest. Joe too started his flying with AAFC when he was 15, beginning his flying with gliders.

Ben Verazzi (Racwa), Michael Chlopek (Racwa) and Craig McPherson (Darwin) were the other instructors at Murrayfield for the duration of the cadet camp, all of whom began their flying through an Elementary Flying Training Course (EFTC). Having started their training through similar processes themselves, the instructors knew what to expect when they volunteered to help with the camp, “The students did 2 flights a day, which meant each instructor took care of 6 flights each day. It was just as intense for the instructors as it was for the cadets.”By the 6th day it was all worthwhile when all but one of the 11 students flew solo for the first time. “I had never had a student first solo before this camp,” said Joe, “that was definitely a highlight and something I don’t think either of us will ever forget.” The next cadet camp starts in the October school holidays and runs for 6 days at Murrayfield.


Rottnest Island Bun Run 2015

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The annual Racwa 2015 Rottnest Island

Bun Run was held on Good Friday with 20 aircraft participating from Jandakot & Murrayfield - a great turnout. The morning commenced at 0800 so all aircraft could be pre-flighted before the 0900 brief.Our Club President Andrew Eldridge ran the brief covering all operational procedures, Rottnest arrivals/departures and safety aspects to be aware of should things not quite go to plan (an essential part of any briefing). This year we saw a very good line up of aircraft including Cessnas, Pipers , a Partenavia and Mooneys .Our aircraft was a

C172SP, and this year I was fortunate to have my younger brother Joe and his granddaughter as my passengers. It was a great mix of people and aircraft heading for the "overseas" destination. Traditionally Jandakot Holdings and Rottnest Island Board waive landing fees for all aircraft participating in the Bun Run and any "fees" incurred are donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) which no doubt has evacuated and saved many a life from the island and elsewhere. So with the contributions paid, and passengers strapped in, we were off with our departure on RWY 06L at 0955.Fremantle Golf Course appeared in no time and we were soon traversing the sea passage to Rottnest. Our listening watch had RWY09 as the active runway and abeam Garden Island, it was getting very busy. We managed our base call position slotting behind Mike Burns on finals. Parking was at a premium and Craig Hensley was our Ground Marshall.Once our aircraft was secured, it was a pleasant walk to the bakery. This is not a good spot to be if you are on a diet as the choice of pastries, pies, pasties and sausage rolls are endless. The buns were

purchased from our earlier order and by the time Joe and I picked up our bun order, our group had cleaned out the bakery's entire stock. The Racwa bun order totalled thirty dozen, so they are a popular product. A total of $1000 was raised for the wonderful RFDS. The coffees were great and we sat under the shady Moreton Bay Fig trees chatting with other crews while my passengers tucked into a steak and pepper pie each with their drinks.All too soon, it was time to head home as some came from Murrayfield, so we walked back to the airstrip and after a quick fuel dip and oil check we departed on RWY 09. With a bit of time to spare, I decided to make a right turn and tracked to the western end and across the northern coast to Bathurst Point to give my passengers a scenic look at Rottnest and we were well rewarded with the colour of the ocean and lakes.Rottnest Island is still a great destination even with the high landing fees there. If you share a flight with other pilots, the costs are reasonable. A big thank you to all those involved with organising this event.

Rob van Hamersveld, #8706

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Club Captain's Corner

and someone who contributed tirelessly to the aviation industry as a whole. Shirley’s legacy is vast and won’t be soon forgotten. Thanks for everything Shirley! Happy Landings

Craig Hensley #6844, Club Captain

Old Fliers Group

G’day MembersWe kicked off this month with

the ALACs at Echuca. Congratulations to Rod Garnaut for bringing it home as the Overall

Champion and beating the Kiwis at the International Wings Championships. Also congratulations to Slyvia Byers and Jim Di Menna for proudly representing Racwa and being brilliant at it.It’s that time of year when the nights are longer and there’s more time for night flying. So join in on the trilogy of night comps; 3 competitions at Jandakot over 3 months, the first staring on Thursday 7 May. Muzz Buzz will have food available from 5:00, we’ll brief at 6:00 and be in the air by 6:45pm. Register online, via email or give me a bell.We’re at Murrayfield on the third Sunday of May instead of the regular second Sunday, because of Mother’s day. It’s the special H.M.A.S Murrayfield where you only get the size of the deck of an aircraft carrier to land on. Hone your skills and be involved.The last Sunday of May is a flapless glide approach comp at Jandakot, and we’ve got the Bomber Command Commemorative Flight on June 6. Please don’t forget to come along to the Club’s Open Day on Sunday May 24. Promote your club by telling all your friends and bring your family down yourself. Finally, I’d like to send my deepest sympathies to Reg and the boys, Alwyn and Neil on the loss of their wife and mother, Shirley. The club lost a true legend

The Aichi M6A1 seaplane was designed so that it could be carried by a WW2 Japanese submarine. The aircraft would “appear out of no where” and surprise the Pacific forces. The I-400 submarine was three

times larger than others and capable of sailing around the world. Only one example of the Seiran “clear skies storm” aircraft exists.We were privileged to hear CFI Trevor Jones tell us how he flew a Cirrus SR22 from Modesto, California to visit Oshkosh in Wisconsin. He accompanied his story of flight planning and execution with glorious photos of the Grand Canyon, Salt Lake City and others. Those who plan to obtain an American endorsement to their Australian licence would be particularly interested.Our next meeting will be at noon on Friday 24th of April. You are welcome.Steve Rogershttp://oldfliersgroup.org.auhttps://www.youtube.com/user/OldFliersGroup

Wanna Do it

In the dark?

Your Flying committee invites you to the first NIGHT flying function

Jandakot Thursday 7th May 2015 Food From 5.00 pm

You don’t need a night rating (you don’t even need a licence!) as you will fly with an instructor. Put some MORE FUN in your nightlife But, be warned—you might get hooked!

Put your details on the list on the noticeboard or register online—[email protected]


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The SwampUsed by permission of Gary Clark www.swamp.com.au https://www.facebook.com/DingDuck

“I think my dad was more excited about winning the scholarship than I was, after all he has been paying for my lessons so far” admitted Liam

Birch, Racwa member and one of the four recipients of the RFACA Learn to Fly scholarship announced at the RFACA Annual Conference in Echuca, Victoria in April.Liam is 15 years old and has only just begun his flying journey. He is into his 5th lesson with his instructor Mike Thomas and loving every minute. Liam took his first trial flight at 10 years of age always having had a fascination with aviation, after travelling a lot with his parents.Liam always knew he wanted to be a pilot “I never really thought I’d ever want to do anything else”. So the scholarship couldn’t have gone to a more deserving person. “It will definitely kick start my journey”. The scholarship entrants were to take a trial flight and are assessed on their suitability for formal flying training as well as providing a brief written statement explaining why they wish to learn to fly. Liam’s plan is to get his commercial licence and one day fly big birds, maybe around Europe, his favourite place to travel to.

Congratulations

Each recipient is entitled to $7000 to subsidise the cost of obtaining a Private or Commercial Pilot’s Licence. Offered annually, the financial support of the scholarship has allowed previous winners to continue with their flying lessons, obtain their pilot’s licence and accept positions within the industry.If everything goes well Liam will be able to fly solo before even applying for his driver’s licence. We wish him all the best with his aviation journey and commend him on winning. Well done Liam.

It was a successful and gratifying visit to Echuca in April for the Royal Federation

of Aero Clubs of Australia (RFACA) Annual Conference, and the Australian Light Aircraft Championships (ALAC).Not only was there very interesting presentations and great competitions, but the Racwa team placed very well too.Racwa President Andrew Eldridge and General Manager David Currey both won Federation awards, while Rod Garnaut was the Overall Champion.

Murrayfield - Right Hand Seat comp

1st Steve Wilson 2nd Michael Stenson 3rd Jim Campbell

Comp Winners

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xxx Open Day

Sunday May 24

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