Schofields Flying Club Ltd - 1 Tower Road Bankstown Airport 2200
(PO Box 200, Georges Hall, NSW 2198 AUSTRALIA)
Phone: +61 2 9773 3611 Email: mail@schofields-flying-club.com.au
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SCHOFIELDS FLYING CLUB NEWSLETTER - AUGUST 2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Welcome to the August 2005 edition of Schofields News. There are the usual plus some new features - President's Notes by Mike Allsop, Ask the CFI by Rodney Hyde, X-Files X054 (North American X-15) by Anthony Coleiro, Hot Starts by Paul Daniels, 2004 Kimberley Tour (Day 14) by Mike Chuda, Know Your Director by Mathew Ingram, Learning to Fly in Australia by Chris Hobbs, Presentation Night Review by Peter Blackbourn, and The Last Word from Latrodectus. As well, there's the usual administrivia that you've come to expect. So, read on and enjoy! NEW MEMBERS FOR JULY 2005: Welcome to Yannick Sasso, John Ruming, Glen Weston, Sandra Greenwood, Nam Kyu Kim, Peter Chasak, Toufic (Brian) El Massri, Tony Gray and Sam Saad.NEW MEMBER APPLICATIONS: Prospective new members of the Club can download a Membership Application Form (174kB pdf) here. Note that it is still necessary for new members to attend the Club in person with photo identification before applications can be processed. DIARY DATES: The Club has a number of social and flying activities planned for 2005. You can check full details on our Coming Events page. Below is a summary of the programme for August and September 2005:
BATHURST FOR A BBQ: On a clear but very cold Sunday July 17, 2005 we visited Bathurst Aero Club for the day. It was great to share good company around the welcome barbeque and to chat with fellow aviators. Check out BAC's Photo Gallery! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Well wasn't July a surprise! Often wet, cold and miserable instead we got (mostly) fine and mild, even if a bit breezy at times. Our flying activity held up well during the month, and was stronger than pretty much any July in the past. Thanks to you of course! FTU with its smart new interior has been popular, and little JGJ has never been busier. The Duchess was off-line for a couple of weeks unfortunately while waiting for a spare part from the US, LSG is getting its new engine and interior and JRY had a "top overhaul" during the month - otherwise it was all go for the fleet. One aspect of our operations that doesn't often get noticed is the co-operation we have with other operators on the field, notably UNSW and AFTS both on aircraft crosshire and specialist instruction. It is always good to work with others in this industry in the interests of customers at large to help meet periods of high demand or to fill in during a period of downtime. Our club is held in strong regard in the level of engagement it has in general with our neighbours on the field and this is consistent with our charter of fostering the interests of our members and GA as a whole.We held "Night Circuits" again during July and this was as popular as always. We added a new feature to the event this time in offering "Night Scenics" for anyone interested. These took the form of cost-shared private flights at a fixed price over a designated route. We had 3 sorties do the trip up to Hornsby, over to Long Reef then into the Zone and return. The night could not have been better for it, and the folks in Sydney Radar and Sydney Departures were most obliging. Several members told us they wished they had made the time to join in either individually or with friends and family, so we'll certainly be doing that again. Of course if you are already night rated you can do it anytime you like! 
Our "fly-out" to Bathurst to meet our friends at the Bathurst Aero Club for a BBQ went well despite the strong westerly and cold conditions aloft. How does 38 mins sound for the return leg in a Warrior! These short fly-outs are a great way to keep up to speed with enjoyable cross country flying, and to share the whole thing with like-minded pilots and their friends. The social contact at our destinations is great to see, and we look to reciprocate with various country aero clubs in the near future. In particular we are working on ways to introduce our country friends to the sights of Sydney from the air and not be daunted by the seeming complexities of the procedures involved. More on this later in the year.We are also working towards an "Open Day" for members on 13th November where we will be running a series of mini-seminars and discussions on a whole range of topics of interest. These will include things such as "how do I go about" NVFR, PIFR, GPS, aerobatics, formation, club competitions etc etc, as well as more general things about aviation security, licencing, airspace and procedures etc. Let us know if there are other topics you would like to hear about as well, all suggestions welcome. Finally, a quick note on the photo licence requirements. All new students and all RPT aircrew are being issued with a photo licence card after the completion of an aviation security check. The rest of us need to have this done by Dec 31st. CASA may well advertise it to us all again, but it might help avoid the rush if you got onto it soon. The form can be downloaded from the CASA website. The process is basically no more complicated than getting a passport renewed - get a photo, get it endorsed, fill in the form and sent it off. CASA also let us fill in most of it electronically to save time. It took me less than 10 minutes. Not sure yet how long it takes to actually get the card though! The proposed security identification card (ASIC) requires the same checks, but we understand DOTARS, CASA and a Parliamentary group are reviewing the process and requirement behind this especially as pertains to issuing to private pilots. No doubt we pilots will be informed in due course, and as a Club we will be pursuing the authorities for clarity. "Bear with it" as they say. If common sense does not prevail I can imagine a flood of letters to parliamentarians from pilots all over the country. I'm sure you would agree that as a group pilots are keen to support sensible procedures without undue restrictions and costs. We should all keep an eye on it, and it is sure to be a hot topic at our Open Day. In the meantime, enjoy the freedoms we have and keep flying! Mike Allsop President SFC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This item has come about as, quite literally, somebody did ask the CFI. One of our senior instructors posed the question, "do we have a policy on child seats?" My first reaction was "No, but we should." So lets begin with the legal stuff first. LEGAL STUFF: CAR 251 requires that all occupants (including infants and children) be restrained during certain stages of flight, e.g. take off and landing. Further, although infants (0<3 years) can be legally nursed on the lap of an adult, they cannot be restrained under the same seat belt as the adult, for fear of squashing them in large deceleration (CAO 20.16.3).
This is the legal minimum, but not recommended for Club operations. WHY?
If you drove out the airport and brought the kids, then the same car seat you sat them in to get them out to the Club, is the same seat you should use to take them flying.
CFI & CP and father of two boys aged 4 years and 6 months | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The North American X-15 was arguably one of the most important aircraft in the American 'X' plane program. The flight regime in which the aircraft was designed to operate was both torturous for man and machine. Designed to fly at a maximum altitude of 250,000 feet (76.5 kilometres) and a maximum speed of Mach 6 (6,437 km/h). It was designed to test the very limits of technology and human endurance for possible future manned space flight. The X-15 program was initiated on 30 December 1954 and jointly funded by the air force and navy with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which was NASA's forerunner, providing technical assistance. Known as project 1226, twelve airframe companies and four engine manufacturers were approached to submit proposals. Four airframe manufacturers responded with designs and North American won the airframe contract with their NA-240 design. All four rocket companies responded and Reaction Motors won the engine contract with their XLR-99 rocket motor which had the capability of being throttle between half and full power and an awesome thrust of 57,000 lb!The X-15 program was wide ranging it its scope; from hypersonic aerodynamics to testing systems and theories for manned space flight; it bridged the gap between flight within and outside of the atmosphere (a space shuttle). From the outset it was intended that this aircraft would only be air launched from an altitude of 45,000 feet (13.7 kilometres) and so to facilitate this, two B-52 bombers were converted to fulfil the 'mothership' role. The X-15 would we carried under the starboard wing on a special hard point and then dropped like a bomb. The pilot would then ignite the rocket, climb to operational altitude and would finish the flight as a glider landing on a dry lake bed at over 320 km/h! 
The fuselage of the X-15 was long and cylindrical; it had short stubby wings and thick wedge shaped dorsal and jettisonable ventral fin. The X-15 would land on skids (situated at the very rear of the fuselage; used for the main gear) and a conventional twin wheel nose gear. The aircraft had to withstand temperatures of between 185°C to 650°C so conventional metal could not be used for its fabrication. The metals used for the aircraft were stainless steel and titanium for the load bearing structures and a high-strength nickel alloy called Inconel X for the wing leading edges. To give you some idea of the expected harshness of this aircraft flight regime, Inconel X is normally only used for turbine rotor blades, the extremely hot end of a jet engine. For flight within the atmosphere, the X-15 was fitted with conventional control surfaces on the tail (elevons) and for flights to the edge of space, attitude control was achieved by nose and wing tip mounted hydrogen peroxide thrusters.The control system was unique. The pilot had three joysticks. A central control column used for conventional flight, a small joy-stick mounted on the right hand side which was directly linked to the central column requiring only slight hand movements used for high speed (high 'g') flight and another small joy-stick mounted on the left hand side used to control the aircraft when it left the atmosphere. Pilots were kitted up in full pressure suits for every flight. So much was the X-15 like a space vehicle that serious consideration was given during the early days of the Mercury Program to putting one of these aircraft into manned orbit instead of a capsule (the X-20 Dyna-Soar was to be developed for this role). In the end, re-entry using a blunt-end object like a capsule was considered safer for the pilot. CONTINUED NEXT MONTH ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Illustrated Ency. of Aircraft - Orbis publication Aircraft of the National Air & Space Museum - Smithsonian Institute Wonders of the Pima Air & Space and Titan Missile Museum - Pima Air & Space Museum United States Air Force Museum - Air Force Museum Foundation Inc. Aircraft - Dec 65, Aug 67, Dec 67, Jan 68 - The Royal Aeronautical Society Australian Flying - August 1990 - Aerospace Publications P/L Air Progress - Dec 67, Sep 69 - Condé Nast Publications Inc. Aeroplane Monthly - May 1998 - IPC Magazines Ltd. Flight International - 9 January 1969 - Iliffe Transport Publications Ltd. Anthony Coleiro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Of late we have had a few members having trouble starting the Piper Arrow. Starting these engines when cold is quite straightforward if done by the POH. When hot, they present a problem to the uninitiated. When hot, the fuel tends to vaporise in the lines and refuses to be pumped. Even if the engine "fires", it has difficulty in flowing due to vapour locks and can die again when the air bubbles reach the cylinders.Lycoming the engine manufacturer's hot start technique is different from the aircraft manufacturer's, to make matters worse, just about every "expert" you speak to has their own method. If you have trouble doing a hot start then try this method. It always works for me.
Most pilots do not like a low fuel pressure reading, and immediately switch on the electric pump whenever the needle nears the bottom end of the gauge's green arc. A low fuel pressure reading merely means that there are no blockages in the system and the fuel is flowing freely. I am more worried about a high reading. 
That tells me that there is a blockage or restriction in the flow. Depending on where the pressure is measured will determine the possibilities of the blockage location. With the Arrow pressure is measured just before the injectors. So a High reading indicates faulty or blocked injector nozzles.Of course, too low or no reading on the fuel pressure gauge may indicate a failure of the engine driven pump, in which case the electric pump should be turned on immediately. Or it may indicate a faulty gauge. At a safe height, check it by running the engine with the pump off. Prolonged running with the electric pump on should be avoided because you may cause it to burn out. The pumps are not a constant rated pump. The Fuel Flow gauge on some engines operates by a little turbine in the fuel lines, on others it is just a pressure gauge calibrated in quantity per hour. With a pressure gauge calibrated in quantity per hour, a high reading again indicates a blockage or restriction. Pilots have caused major engine damage by overleaning trying to reduce the "flow". Until next time enjoy our skies Paul Daniels Flight Instructor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Day 14 - Sunday 13 June - Cape Leveque to Broome 
A light breakfast accompanied by the sound of the nearby surf, set the leisurely tone for this day. A gaggle of curious tourists had gathered at the end of the sandy-dirt strip to watch the pre-flight preparations and departures, and soon discovered that a propeller turning at around 2500 rpm will throw sand and dust quite a distance! This time I managed to avoid the soft sand at the edges of the strip and so, one by one, in clouds of dust, we departed Cape Leveque with a final look at the resort when on the downwind leg. Most pilots then followed the coastline southwards at a low level whilst keeping out of the way of the Coast Watch aircraft that was doing low-level coastline surveillance.Broome is inside a rather large MBZ, and we'd been warned by some of the local commercial pilots that the CA/GRS tower-operators were somewhat fussy about radio and position calls. 
After changing to the MBZ frequency it became apparent that Broome can be a rather busy airport, with quite a lot of commercial and RPT traffic (turboprop and jets). An extra 10 aircraft arriving within a 30 minute time span certainly added to the tower operator's workload that morning and gave some pilots a bit more time to watch the scenery whilst orbiting to let the jets do their thing. A downwind leg facing the ocean and a final approach over the water gave everyone another very nice view of the magnificent Cable Beach.The apartments were near the beach but as we had arrived early, (11 am-ish is early?), many of the rooms weren't ready yet, which was a good reason to head for the nearby pub and restaurant for an early lunch. After checking-in and after the usual search and scramble for laundry facilities, many people went off to shop or to explore the town. Broome is a relatively compact town with a small town centre but on a Sunday was somewhat quiet, and it seemed that the only people walking around were tourists. All in all, a leisurely day in wonderful weather. Mike Chuda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hello there everyone. Earlier this year some members of Schofields noticed that I had been removed from the Aircraft/Instructor Booking Sheet and also from the Schoies Instructor Webpage - my former students and friends certainly noticed this anyway. So why did this occur? No, it was not so that I could serve time at Long Bay! Having worked for and been a member with Schofields for a few years, I really believed it to be a great club and flying school with genuine and dedicated instructors and members. I wanted to help shape the future of the club. So I decided I was ready for the excitement and challenges of the Committee and became a director of the Club while also undertaking a new permanent position with the University of New South Wales. The position of director has been a big eye opener as to the management side of the club. There is a massive amount of work that goes on everyday by the employees, volunteers and directors all of whom tirelessly keep the club running. The aviation industry is a unique animal. I have worked in general aviation for seven years and hope that my knowledge and experience will benefit Schofields.So this aviation thing where did it all begin for me? Well when I was a wee lad about four years old I made toy aeroplanes without wings called 'HairPlanes' and loved to go to the airport to see giant metal birds fly, occasionally even traveling in them. The pilots would let me sit up the front and 'Wow' I thought 'That was great, maybe I could fly these things too'? I never thought flying could be so much fun until I saw 'Top Gun' and the 'Flying High' movie with Leslie Nielsen. 
A TIF with Rod Andrews and then, when I was old enough to fly, I studied business and worked full-time in the banking industry, and part-time at KFC, the Spastic Centre and Liquorland to save money for flying lessons. It was the mid 1990's and the wise Latrodectus Hasseltii shared some of his experience, advising me how to tackle my future aviation career. Then the skillful Pat Watson patiently taught me to fly.Over the past ten years I have been a skydive pilot, charter pilot and flight instructor, teaching at almost every school at Bankstown Airport. In that time I have seen many things in aviation and have met a lot of very distinguished and modest master aviators to whom I owe so much (the cheque is in the mail!). While working for Schofields I had the pleasure of teaching great instructors such Paul Daniels, Scott Coakley, Tim Hildebrandt and Rob Odlum. I really enjoyed teaching and flying with many members and all my former students as it was rewarding to see everyone achieve their goals (or most of them!). Flying is what you make of it and initially I though flying could not get any better, that was until I started learning aerobatics with the famous Chris Pearl. Aviation is fantastic, you never stop learning. The possibilities are endless and it is through a friendly club like Schofields that really makes the flying experience so much more enjoyable. If you see me around the club please stop me for a chat! Mathew Ingram Club Director | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sitting in the departure lounge in Ottawa with Laurie Davis and our wives Alison and Elva and realising that my log book was in its normal place on the shelf in the kitchen at home was an aeronautical low point of our three week trip to Australia. Being told at Sydney's Bankstown airport that conversion to a VFR Australian licence would require a 1 hour familiarisation flight, two 2.5 hour navigation exercises and a 2 hour Aeroplane Flight Review (AFR) was, however, the nadir.The extensive navigation exercises were needed because of the way in which navigation is taught in North America: VOR to VOR. Since there are few VORs in Australia, North American pilots tend to get lost and the exercises were to teach us to look out of the window. I had found the flight school on the Internet while still in Canada; it advertised itself as specialising in conversion of foreign licences and seemed ideal. Having explained about the 8 hour conversion process (say C$1400), the school then broke the news that, when we had converted, they would have no aircraft available for rental. At this disappointment Laurie and I looked at each other and then asked whether there were any other flying schools on the field. Apparently the only other one had gone out of business a couple of weeks previously. We paid for the ground briefing that we'd already had and wandered disconsolately into the mid-day sun to check the other flight school. The furniture was being removed. 
Luck then took a hand: we wandered back into the excellent pilot shop on the field. The woman behind the counter, Lori, from whom we'd bought maps earlier in the day, must have seen our looks of dejection because she asked how we'd got on. We explained. She turned out to be a part-time instructor at Schofields Flying Club, also on the field at Bankstown. She said that having two 2.5 hour navigation exercises was ridiculous and suggested we try Schofields; she promptly got leave of absence from the shop and drove us to it. What a contrast! A friendly atmosphere redolent of Rockcliffe, instructors willing to work with us to minimise our check-out time and plenty of aircraft (predominantly Piper Warriors) to book for flights.It now being late in the day, we decided to book the entire up-coming Monday for the checkouts: two familiarisation flights to explain the complex airspace around Bankstown (me flying with Laurie in the back and Laurie flying with me in the back so that we both got as much exposure as possible) and then a two hour AFR each (including a navigation exercise). 
In fact weather intervened: our presence caused the 2 year drought to break but over a couple of days we did complete the check-out.What's different down under? Bankstown is a so-called GAAP airport, an Australian phenomenon. It is essentially a controlled airport without clearance delivery and without the need to talk to ground control. In fact I did talk to ground control for the solo flights I made and found them perfectly happy to give me progressive taxi instructions when I got lost. The only dangerous moment came when, at the hold-short point, I contacted tower to tell them I was ready for take-off: WARRIOR HOTEL QUEBEC ROMEO READY RUNWAY ONE ONE LEFT DOWNWIND DEPARTURE. From my Canadian experience I expected CLEAR FOR TAKEOFF, HOLD SHORT OF RUNWAY ONE ONE LEFT or TAKE POSITION AND HOLD. What actually came back was: HOTEL QUEBEC ROMEO HOLD POSITION. I interpreted this, incorrectly and dangerously, as a clearance to "take position and hold". Luckily I read it back as such and immediately got the controller telling me not to move: there was an aircraft on short final. CONTINUED NEXT MONTH (Chris Hobbs is the Senior Ground Instructor with Rockcliffe Flying Club in Ottawa, Canada. By trade, Chris is a telecommunications engineer. He started flying gliders in the mountains of Central Wales, and since coming to Canada has acquired his Commercial Licence and Instrument Rating. Chris is also a part-time Flight Instructor at the Rockcliffe Flying Club and is the author of Learning to Fly in Canada). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On Saturday 25th June Schofields Flying Club hosted a presentation night at our clubhouse. This regular event recognises those members who have been successful in attaining a milestone in their flight training with our training arm Sydney Flight College. From first solo to GFPT and onto PPL. Endorsements for CSU and Retractable Undercarriage, Night VFR up to CPL, they all got a mention.We had around 40 patrons to the evening including recipients, family, friends as well as special guests and event support crew. Arriving guests were welcomed by our meet and greet committee Club Secretary Grahame Smith (who also presided as MC) and Treasurer Peter Cunningham. Guests not only received a warm welcome but also a complimentary drink as an ice breaker to the evening. For many of our members this was the first time they had participated in one our social activities. As you will see from our web site Photo Gallery there were many smiling faces from the night. 
Our guest speaker was CFI Rodney Hyde. He shared with us his venture into aviation and experiences along the way including his involvement and love for ships that fly, that is float planes. In fact next time you are at YSBK check out his aircraft on the Northern side of our premises. A big fish out of water?We also had as special guests Ken Andrews and Pat Watson, both being CASA approved testing officers who between them reviewed and tested virtually all the recipients providing the seal of approval to their achievement. Finally, thanks to all the support crew consisting of our committee and their family members who make the success of these events possible. A special thank you to Vivianne as our Senior Kitchen Hand and also Alan Drury for his helping hands in setting up and cleaning up. Hopefully you can join us at our next major social event being the Aviation night of Saturday 17th September when the Police Air Wing will be our special guest for the night and give a presentation about their operations. Keep an eye on our web site for details. Peter Blackbourn Director of Club House Services & Events | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RUNWAY GUARD LIGHTS: On aerodromes equipped for low visibility operations (such as Sydney Airport), all runway entry points are "protected" by Runway Guard Lights. These are pairs of alternately flashing yellow lights, one pair located on each side of the taxiway and provide a warning of the close proximity of the runway. Where the taxiway is wider than normal, an alternative form of Runway Guard Light may be provided comprising additional pairs of flashing yellow lights inset into and stretching across the full width of the taxiway. The electrical circuits are so arranged that alternate lights flash in unison. Runway Guard Lights, often referred to as "Wig Wags", are illustrated in the photograph.AEROPLANE FLIGHT REVIEW: The correct term for 'BFR' these days is 'AFR', meaning an aeroplane flight review. A 'BFR', in fact, refers to a balloon flight review. It's defined in CAR 2, and mentioned in CAR 5.81 (PPL) and 5.108 (CPL), plus a few other places. This is to distinguish it from HFR (helicopter), GFR (gyroplane) and BFR (balloon). You're still required to undertake one every two years, so you could think of it as a 'biennial AFR'. 
GOOGLE EARTH: A new application from Google is Google Earth, which combines satellite imagery, maps and the power of Google Search to put the world's geographic information at your fingertips. As well, you can determine with a high degree of precision the co-ordinates (latitude and longitude) of any position on the earth's surface as well as the height above mean sea level. The image to the left was taken from a satellite orbiting the earth. The red cross (in the middle of the Club's flight line) has an elevation of 20 feet and co-ordinates of 33o55'34.92"S, 150o58'52.11"E. Pretty clever stuff!WEB SITE FOR PILOTS: Airservices Australia has completed the rollout of a free web site called Flying Around designed to increase pilot situational awareness and establish a better understanding of controlled airspace boundaries. Worth taking a look. FEEDBACK AND CONTRIBUTIONS: Well, that's your newsletter for this month. With your help (in the form of contributions, photos, etc.) it should be possible to produce a newsletter every month. Don't forget to check the latest news on the Club's website at www.schofields-flying-club.com.au. Contributions, comments, feedback, and (polite) suggestions to latrodectus@schofields-flying-club.com.au. THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH: Flying is the perfect vocation for a man who wants to feel like a boy but not for one who still is.
Latrodectus |
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