Schofields Flying Club Ltd - 60 Birch Street Bankstown Airport 2200
(PO Box 200, Georges Hall, NSW 2198 AUSTRALIA)
Phone: +61 2 9709 8488 Email: mail@schofields-flying-club.com.au
Welcome to the August 2010 edition of Schofields News. There are the most of the usual plus some new features -
President' Notes by John Young,
Longreach Weekend by Mark King,
X-File X095 (Lockheed L.200-7B) by Tony Coleiro,
Airservices Australia Briefing Nights by Mark King,
Flying the Next Generation by Mike Allsop,
Vale, Jim Whyte by David Hunt,
Night Circuits at Bankstown by Justin McCoy,
Flying the Tasman - VFR in a Single by Mark King, and
The Last Word from Latrodectus. As well, there's some of the usual administrivia that you used to expect. So, read on and enjoy!
Last light drinks
This is a social activity introduced by the Clubhouse & In-house Events subcommittee for members and their guests to join together with some of our committee members on the last Sunday of each month.
Diamond Star DA40 VH-DIV
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 August 29.
Vale, Jim Whyte
Schofields Flying Club has sadly lost another member with the passing of Jim Whyte on 30th April 2010 at the age of 91 years. Jim had been involved with the Club from its inception and had been an active Committee member for many years. In 1993-4 he spent considerable time in the quest to save Schofields Aerodrome from closure. Our condolences to Jim's wife Margaret, son Ross and daughter Robyn. Further details later in this Newsletter.
Duty pilot draw
The Volunteer Duty Pilot Monthly Draw ($50 free flying) went to the following members: June 2010 - John Carswell and Andrew Fisher; July 2010 - Julian Wilken and John Young. 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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New members Welcome to the following new members who joined the Club in the last few months. Prospective New Members of the Club can download a Membership Application Form (174kB pdf) here. Note that it is still necessary for new members to attend the Club in person with photo identification before applications can be processed. June 2010 - Yuan Gao, Peter Rezitis, Ted Giddings, Harrison Aggar, Adrian Giesemann, Ahmad El-Youssef, Tareq Ghabrah, Abdallah Ferekh, Kendall Duffy, Wisam Homaisi, Samuel Pozidis, Michael Todd, Ian Sheils, Zoe Ng, Imran Alam, Matthew Gunton, Timothy English, Brent Lowings, Peter Samios, James Marten-Coney, Keith Murray, Ben Wyer, Gary Cheung, Gregory McDonald, Jordana Ungar, David Walker, Anna Filus, Kunal Bali, Adrian Keed, Joshua Willis, William Lam, Michael Peters, Andrew Bursill, William Seabourne, Christopher Wheatley and Spyridon Zohios. July 2010 - Ibrahim El Kheir, Tysen Dye, Richard O'Connor, Patrick Vinson, Daniel Merrifield, Peter Mews, Cameron Sandell, Michael Hofman, Michael Toohey, Timothy Bullock, Ryan Das, Aaron Mete, Sanil Sawant, Artur Popov, Julio Montiel, Peter Smith, Warren Woodward, Joesph Hanna and Colin Rothenberg. |
The Club has a number of social and flying activities planned for 2010 and you can check out the full details on our Coming Events page.
| Sun | 01 | Aug | 2010 | Club Competition | Warnervale |
| Sun | 15 | Aug | 2010 | Dangerous Goods Awareness Course | Clubhouse |
| Mon | 16 | Aug | 2010 | Board Meeting | Clubhouse |
| Sun | 05 | Sep | 2010 | Navigation Challenge | Local |
| Sat | 18 | Sep | 2010 | Aviation Night | Clubhouse |
| Mon | 20 | Sep | 2010 | Board Meeting | Clubhouse |
| Sun | 10 | Oct | 2010 | GPS Course | Clubhouse |
| Sun | 17 | Oct | 2010 | Club Competition | Warnervale |
| Mon | 18 | Oct | 2010 | Board Meeting | Clubhouse |
Our next flying competition will be our regular competition at Warnervale on Sunday, 17 October 2010.
John Young
Hello Club members and friends. Those of us who have been at the Club over the last few months may have seen some new faces in the instructor ranks. These new faces belong to Conrado Ciarliero, John Latinovic and David Bettridge. Say hello when you see them.
As usual in winter we conduct our night circuits. On Friday, 25th June, we held another successful session with around fifteen pilots enjoying three circuits in control and six circuits in the back seat. This is always a great night of flying and socialising with other Club members.
The Cub has run three Diamond G1000 courses, which were very well attended with around 25 club members now ready to check ride in the Diamond DA40 VH-DIV.
Another very successful GPS course was run this month and another is scheduled for Sunday, 11th July. If you have not yet attended this course and you are interested, please contact the club to book your place. Successful completion of this course allows you to tick the GPS Nav Aid when submitting flight plans.
I would like to remind members that the electronic booking system is functioning and Flying Members can get log-in details and password access. Please remember to cancel your booking if you cannot make the flight as other members may be waiting for an available aircraft.
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First solos Congratulations to the following pilots who soloed recently. Christophe Todeschini (9 March in a C152; instructor: Nick Pech), Joshua Willis (12 July in a C152; instructor: Conrado Ciarliero) and Anthony Sadler (24 July in a PA28; instructor: Chris Pearl). Well done! More... |
Our monthly Club flying competition was held at Warnervale with John Latinovic acting as instructor/safety pilot/air judge. Although not many members participated, those who did enjoyed the day. John kept coming back for more so the flying must have been OK, although he did need a beer.
Another new Aircraft has come on line. Diamond DA20 VH-DIU. More details follow in this newsletter.
The Club has scheduled a BAK theory course to start on 10th July and a PPL course to commence on 7th August. Those interested please contact the club to reserve your place.
Please look at the Club website regularly for information and updates and please attend as many club activities as you can. As always, I am happy to chat with members at any time.
Finally it is with sadness that I must inform our members of the passing in April of Life Member Mr Jim Whyte, aged 91. Jim was a very long standing, and had been associated with the Club from its inception at Schofields aerodrome - hence the name of our Club. He was an active and supportive member for more than 30 years and held many committee portfolios. He actively lobbied for the retention of Schofields aerodrome until its closure in October 1994 and, more recently, was active, but unsuccessful, in having the aerodrome reinstated. Jim served in the RAAF during World War 2 and flew in Beaufighters and Ansons. Our condolences to Jim's wife, Margaret, his son Ross and Jim's many friends.
Until next month, happy and safe flying.
John Young
President - Schofields Flying Club
During the recent June long weekend my son Peter and I took the Diamond Star DA40, VH-DIV to Longreach and back. It was a great trip. Some cloud but not enough to stop us cruising along most of the way at altitude. The DA40 easily cruises at 130 knots TAS and you will see 140 knots if you push the power up.
This trip I think shows how far you can travel comfortably in 3 days and the versatility you have at your disposal by going GA. Driving this far in 3 days would be out of the question.
Peter King and VH-DIV at Longreach Going by RPT to Longreach from Sydney would take between 5 and 9 hours plus check in time each way via Brisbane using Qantas and Qantaslink at a minimum cost of around $800 each. We took in total 13 VDO hours, less if we had flight planned direct on the return leg.
We planned via Charleville following a recommendation from Nelson. He was right, great little airport with a café on site. BP fuel cards accepted. Longreach to Charleville 512 NM. Charleville to Longreach 210 NM. Makes for an interesting arrival seeing 2 large jets parked at a country airport.
We stayed at the Jumbuck Motel, an easy 10 minute walk from the airport. If you need a taxi it will cost you $5 - beats Sydney anytime. There are other motels nearby in walking distance as well.
We walked into town for dinner, 15 minutes each way. Check out the display on Longreach's history in the middle of Eagle Street or you can order pizza delivered to the motel, or you can use their restaurant.
The next day we planned to spend most of the day at the Qantas Founders Museum on the Airport. They have a fabulous building with the early history of Qantas laid out in detail along with the aircraft, some genuine and others replicas, that flew in those early days. Their long term master plan will, when completed, see additional buildings for displaying the more recent history of Qantas. The real stars of the show are the 747-200 series model and the 707, the actual first RPT jet on the Australian register.
We paid $115 each to do all 3 tours on offer. Worth every cent, especially the 747 Wing Walk tour. Only Peter and I signed up for this tour which meant we had access to more than normally allowed for larger groups.
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Make sure you see the video of the 747 landing at Longreach; impressive and took a lot of planning. They have a 6,000 foot sealed runway but not nearly long enough for a typical 747 arrival. The 747 is de-commissioned and will never fly again.
The 707 tour was interesting. They hope to one day restore it to flight status but for the moment it's a static display only. Before they brought the aircraft it was being fitted out as a private jet with lots of expensive wood panelling for a Sultan from somewhere. It was returned to temporary flight status by a group of volunteers and then flown out from England to Longreach.
The other major attraction is the Stockman's Hall of Fame, in walking distance from the Jumbuck. We did not go there but I'm told it is worth seeing if you have the energy.
To see some different scenery we flight planed via Moree for the return trip and then down to Brooklyn for the Lane of Entry. All the airports visited require you to have an ASIC.
If you're looking for a good 3 day trip I can recommend this one. Longreach is a convenient airport for motels and, if you are interested in Australia's aviation and outback history and development, there is a lot to see and do.
Mark King
Tony Coleiro
Lockheed's contribution to the SST race was a double delta tail-less aircraft that looked very similar to the Anglo-French Concord except much larger. It was designed to carry 218 passengers at a projected speed of Mach 3! As far as American prestige is concerned, why do things by half measures.
The wing of the aircraft started just behind to crew compartment and swept back very sharply to about mid-point along the fuselage and then the sweep angle changes to something less dramatic, known as a double delta. The total wing area was to be 8,000 sq feet with a very low wing loading. Like the Concorde, the nose would droop and it had a droop angle of 15°. The engines were to be mounted in individual boxes spaced evenly along the span as opposed to being mounted in pairs as with the Concorde configuration.
Unlike the Concorde, which was constructed of aluminium alloys, the L2000 was to be constructed from titanium.
Lockheed's contribution to the SST race - the L.2000-7B The Concorde's maximum cruise speed of Mach 2.2 was pretty much the limit at that time for aluminium alloys, for higher speeds something more resilient had to be used.
Due to its speed, the aircraft was designed to cruise between 70,000 and 80,000 feet in order to keep the sonic boom overpressures on the ground to below 1½ lb/sq in.
A full-scale wooden demi-mock-up (with a wing on one side only) of the aircraft was unveiled on 27 June 1966 at the company's Burbank plant as part of the FAA evaluation process.
In the end, Boeing won the SST design contest (as detailed in the September 2009 edition of the newsletter, X-File 090) with their swing-wing, conventional layout concept but the aircraft never left the drawing board. [To the right is a top view of the prototype Concorde featuring its ogival wing for comparison.]
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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Aircraft - March 1964, April 1966, May 1966, December 1966, January 1968 and July 1972 - The Royal Aeronautical Society |
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Flight International - February 1964 and 7 July 1966 - Iliffe Transport Publications Ltd |
Anthony Coleiro
Airservices Australia run briefing sessions on the first Tuesday of every month at Mascot. I attended the July briefing along with 2 other pilots. Up to 20 pilots at a time have attended previous briefings. Bookings are essential. The sessions run from 6.30pm to 9.30pm.
The briefer for the night, Warren Williams is a Safety Specialist with Air Services and provided an informative and entertaining briefing. First up is a presentation on the Sydney basin airspace layout, the "Arena" as ATC calls it where they get to play and how it all works. The presentation takes you through Violation of Controlled Airspace (VCA) issues including actual slides of incidents showing heights and headings. Quite sobering to see the number of VCAs between GA aircraft and the big jet aircraft in Sydney. I also found the discussion on the conduct of Harbour Scenic flights enlightening and useful.Next up was a session with the Air Services simulator and a demo of how Controllers interact with the computerized air traffic control network. They have a vast amount of information available to them to help pilots was a clear message that came through.
Lastly we had a tour of the actual control room for Sydney airspace. It was a quiet night so we had the opportunity to talk to the Controllers and see them in action. Recommended for all pilots who want a better understanding of the system under which we fly. To make a booking email pilotinfonight@AirservicesAustralia.com.
Mark King
Our members would have noticed that the Club has followed through on a key point of strategy discussed at our recent AGM - brand new aircraft of modern design as part of our fleet. We are pleased to have online not one but two Diamonds. These are European designs built in Canada with "traditional" GA engines. Not only is their design particularly sleek (hence fabulous room, visibility, handling characteristics and performance), but the avionics suite each carries is first class for the jobs they will be asked to do. Here's a little background from first hand experience.
VH-DIU is a Diamond DA20 Eclipse, a carbon composite two seater powered by a 125hp Continental IO240 with a fixed pitch prop. It is both a basic trainer and a good 2 seat tourer - cruising at up to 115kts on the same fuel burn as a C152.
Panel of VH-DIU Diamond DA20 Eclipse It carries more full fuel payload than a C152 and weighs more as well - the crash structure is the excuse, but a good one. No, it is not an LSA. The first thing you notice inside is the leather seats with a chunky joystick built in, shoulder harnesses, then the clean, clear instrument panel. More like an airborne Z4. VH-DIU has a glass primary flight display (Aspen Pro PFD) displacing the vacuum instruments, surrounded by traditional "steam gauges". Why? Well, for flight training if you turn off the Aspen you are back to where the rest us are, while if you cover the steam gauges you have everything on glass (ASI AH, ALT, TC, HSI, VSI). The HSI displays VOR and GPS CDI from a Garmin 430 (like the bulk of our traditional fleet now), while audio selection is via a Garmin GMA 340 like a number of our better equipped metal fleet. All quite familiar I must say.
With the canopy closed, the visibility is outstanding - more like a glider, no pillars to get in the way. Start and post-start checks are all very familiar. The nosewheel castors (using differential braking) and is very easy to master. On takeoff you use 1 notch of flap (thoughtfully called "take-off"), with rotation and climbout at similar airspeeds to the C152, but providing a spectacular rate of climb - more like going up in a lift. The stick is very natural even after years of using our familiar yoke and the aircraft responds beautifully. Trim is electric via a switch on the stick. Powering back for cruise seems to require the throttle to come back more than half way, such is the slipperiness of the aircraft. Power off glide is outstanding - the glide ratio is far better than our traditional types - but you are still going down! Coming back to the circuit requires a little more thought than a draggy rivet laden metal aircraft. Bring back the power early on downwind to slow down to flap speed, then give it one notch. Down base at 75 kts then "landing" flap on final. Not quite the barn door effect of a Cessna, but still very effective. If you are too fast it will float for quite a while, but if you fly the numbers the landing characteristics are just as advertised - smooth and short. Don't brake too heavily until you are used to the castoring nosewheel though. A real delight to fly I must say.
By the way, did you know that this type is used by the USAF for their academy cadet flight training? If the DA20 stands up to their requirements it sounds like it ought to meet ours very nicely.
Onto the bigger brother ...
VH-DIV is a Diamond DA40XLS Star. Think of it as a modern day Archer with constant speed prop. It has a 180hp Lycoming IO360 with fuel burn characteristics similar to a Warrior but getting Arrow speeds (plus a bit). 135kts is a fair planning figure, and even 45% will give you 120kts. This is a slippery aircraft. Weights are similar to an Archer, as is fuel capacity, but don't look for much luggage if you are 3-up, even on half tanks. The DA40 has a lift-forward canopy for the front seats (enter both sides) and a lift up hatch on the left for the rear seats. Again, you will be impressed by the leather upholstery and joystick control. The seats are fixed to the structure (a roll cage) and designed to absorb 26g. The rudder pedals move fore and aft electrically to give you the legroom you need. And the seatbelts have built-in airbags - there's first for most of us.
The really impressive feature of this aircraft is its Garmin G1000 glass panel (two of them), with integrated radios, VOR/ILS/GPS and autopilot. The left screen acts as the primary flight display (PFD) and the right acts as a multi-function display (MFD) for maps, engine instrumentation and other displays. Further options include a mode S transponder and Avidyne TCAS system to capture and display nearby traffic, and synthetic vision. What's that? Well, let's just say when you are in an instrument approach in the murk the display not only indicates your position with respect to the approach path but also gives a real time "picture" of the view out the front, down to the numbers on the runway and any nearby obstacles (in its database). All this can be coupled to the autopilot.
Panel of VH-DIV Diamond DA40XLS Star What does all this mean? This aircraft needs the pilot to be completely familiar with its systems, and that is reflected in the recency requirement to rent it. It also requires you have undertaken our 1 day G1000 course if you haven't used G1000 before. This avionics is pretty much as sophisticated as would be found on newer biz jets or airliners. Fortunately there is a very good PC simulator from Garmin which can be used for button practice, but as they say there is no substitute for the real thing.
Flying? Very similar to the DA20 in general handling on the ground and in setting flap configurations for take-off, approach and landing. The visibility is extraordinary, even from the rear seats. You need to get used to how to "pre-flight the avionics", ensuring everything is ship shape before takeoff. The huge red "X" that appears across the screen if something fails gets your attention. Partial panel on your familiar steam gauges (ASI, AH and ALT) is a comfort. In fact for those of us trained for years in the traditional way it is hard NOT to look at these standby instruments. Practice, practice, practice. Climb and approach speeds are just like an Archer, but with much stronger rate of climb and better glide. Cruise requires a big pull back the throttle (seems like much more than a PA28). "Landing" flap and flying the numbers on final produces a good result without excessive float, as you might expect.
This is a very sophisticated touring aircraft and glass/IFR training aircraft with a huge amount of wow factor that you quickly come to accept the more time you have with the aircraft.
So where do these fit for the Club? They can be used for training and private hire like any of our traditional aircraft. Indeed a full PPL or CPL package can be built around these aircraft if you want. Both are very impressive on a $/nm basis if you are going on a trip, and both have the right sort of attributes to make a forgiving trainer. We see them sitting as a "premium line" in our fleet, and are not seen to replace our traditional aircraft. They do a great job for a more specialised or more demanding market, but equally they are there if you just want to "have a go" with an instructor and get a great sense of the newest aircraft in the GA market. You will find it very rewarding, as I did.
Mike Allsop
Director of Recreational Flying
Schofields Flying Club has sadly lost another member to the great aviation flying family in the sky. Jim Whyte passed away on 30th April 2010 after being involved with the Club for many years. He was 91 years young!
Jim was an active member of the Club committee for quite a considerable time and spent many months, days and hours in the quest to save Schofields Aerodrome from closure. Jim tried every means known in his aim to save the aerodrome and keep it available to the club and others. He contacted all the people who had influence in this area in his endeavours. Unfortunately none of his mammoth efforts paid off and subsequently Sydney lost another General Aviation airport.
Jim, together with his son Ross, spent many, many hours at the club installing gardens and trees in order to beautify the original clubroom at Schofields Aerodrome. Again, when the gardens started to flourish the Aerodrome was closed. If one observes the site at the Aerodrome today, Jim's (and Ross') work on the gardens is really apparent; there is quite a forest there nowadays. Some of the palms and plants were transported / transplanted to our original clubrooms here on Bankstown Aerodrome.
Jim was also a member of the Aerospace Foundation of Australia, an organisation formed following the Bicentennial Airshow (this event was jointly conducted by Schofields Flying Club and the RAAF). The Aerospace Foundation conducts the Avalon Airshows, the progeny of our original Schofields Airshows.
Another rumour floated was that the Aviation Department cancelled Jim's pilot licence when he was in his eighties; Jim being the "terrier" he was, took the Department to task and subsequently regained his licence. Jim then being possibly the oldest pilot licence holder in Australia!
During Jim's life he had been quite a lad and some of his exploits have been revealed over the years to members, usually over a beer or two! Jim had been known to have been arrested by the KGB during a visit to the USSR; his inquisitiveness in going into places normal tourists should not go caused the trouble (this was during the cold war period of the communist control).
Another exploit that has been revealed occurred when he was a wartime instructor in the Air Force; Jim was teaching students in Tigermoths and all crew had to wear parachutes but were instructed never to use them other than in emergencies. Jim, of course, wanted to experience a parachute descent so he arranged with a student to do an inverted flight in the Tigermoth and he would "just fall out"! He successfully undertook the Jump. Unfortunately for Jim, the student was "grilled" by the OIC and under duress admitted the stunt. Jim was subsequently grounded and his instructor days were done!
Jim is survived by his wife Margaret, daughter Robyn and son Ross. Thank you to a number of Jim's friends for giving me some snippets of information which allowed me to put together this brief story of Jim Whyte.
David Hunt
Justin McCoy
One aspect of Schoies that really appeals to me is the running of various events for fun. Night circuits operation in May this year was such an event. For this I was joined by my 17 year old son Joey, who has a total of about 7 hrs on 152s, with Chris Pearl. Before booking us in, I checked with Chris as to Joey's suitability for night circuits in a Warrior or Archer, given his minimal flying experience. Chris did not hesitate in recommending that he go for it. For Joey of course there was no question that he would not be up to it.
We were booked in for the sessions after dinner, and as we were both pre-GFPT we would do our circuits without passengers, although we could be passengers with post-GFPT pilots. Nelson Crawshaw very efficiently juggled pilots, aircraft and instructors, and shortly after 8pm we headed out to our respective aircraft, Joey in SFR with Conrado Ciarliero and me with Nick Pech in SFA.
It was arranged that I would be a passenger for the first 3 circuits, after which we would drop the first pilot off not too far from the club, and then I would do my circuits. After pre-flighting with the aid of a torch, first pilot David Jaffray fired up SFA and we trundled off to the 11C holding point. There was very little wind, and excellent visibility. It was enlightening for me to sit in the right hand rear seat and watch night VFR-rated David nail the numbers. Each roll out onto final was at 500', something I've yet to consistently manage, and on his second landing it took me a few seconds to realise we were on the ground...
As a passenger I had plenty of time to take in the view, and I was amazed at just how quickly after takeoff the airport disappeared at night. Turning crosswind most of runway and taxiway lights simply melted away and the blinking of the strobes at either end of the runway was the only clue that there was an airport down there. On downwind Bankstown Airport looked like a black void. I was used to the way YSBK looked at night in my flight sim X Plane, like a Christmas tree ... as you can see in the screenshot below. The reality is slightly different.
Meanwhile I could hear SFR in the circuit, and wondered if Joey was doing the flying. After David's third circuit, he departed to walk back to the club, and I took his place.
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Initially I felt a little bit rusty going onto the AH as soon as we were off the ground, but we managed to stay more or less level as we climbed out. The night air was very smooth, and SFA felt solid. My first landing however left me wondering whether she would still be usable. Nick assured me that all was well; Archers being built like Centurion tanks, so flaps up and off we went again.
On the second circuit I was much more relaxed. We had to extend our upwind leg, as SFR had drifted a bit to the left ahead of us, and so had a bit of ground to make up. My second approach and landing was considerably better, 65 kts on final, and SFA behaving herself. Nick diplomatically remarked that in these situations the first landing is always a bit rusty, generally followed by two really good ones. I was reminded of the poem "The Co-pilot" which laments the lot of the co-pilot of early American airlines, in the days when the Captain was God. It ends with the line, "... and now and again when his landing is rusty, I always come through with 'by golly, it's gusty!'"
By circuit number three I was thoroughly enjoying myself. What a privilege, to be on top of the world on a still Friday night, piloting a plane more or less acceptably, with my son ahead of me in the circuit, strobes winking; by now I had decided that Joey was flying SFR. Third and final approach and Nick suggested I try it with the landing light off, allowing peripheral vision to guide me in the flare. A little bit rough, somewhere between landings one and two in quality, but not too bad. Aware that SFM was on final behind us, Nick called for a quick exit at the first taxiway, but the left brake wasn't quite up to it, so "taking over", Nick powered up and we exited at the next one. As we turned off, I looked back to see lights still about 100 ft over the threshold. Handing back to me, Nick expertly directed me through the maze of unseen taxiways home.
Back at the club, I was happy to see Joey walk in about 5 minutes after me. We had in fact been flying together, and he had had a ball! Because of Joey's basic experience, Conrado had flown the first circuit with Joey following through, then let him take over for the second and third. Joey found the Archer heavier, but steadier than the 152. Over a drink of water at the bar, someone asked him how he liked it. He remarked, to general amusement, that he wouldn't mind flying the Archer from now on ... that's a lot of hours at the café where he works ...
On the way home it was fun to compare notes, and re-visit the fabulous experience we had just enjoyed together. We're definitely up for it next time, HSC workload permitting. For those of us who love to fly, but for whatever reason can't fly all that regularly, these events are a cost effective way to indulge our passion. Thanks to the organisers and instructors for their excellent work.
Justin McCoy
Part 1: Australia to New Zealand
Ever thought about flying the Tasman? Maybe you just want somewhere different to visit for that air safari or maybe you want to experience the personal challenge of flying long distances over water or flying internationally. I went over and back during the 2009/2010 Xmas/New Year period in my Diamond Star DA40 XLS, VH-DIV which is now on line with Schofields. It's been done by ultralights and I passed one going the other way on my trip but they are braver then me. Unless you install large ferry tanks the only way to go is via Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island and then to Auckland or Kerikeri in New Zealand. Steve Duroy (the other owner of DIV) and Darren Friend did the same trip in March/April.
Australia to Lord Howe Island
3 jumping off points are commonly used, Sydney (Camden or Bankstown), Port Macquarie or the Gold Coast. The shortest route is from Port Macquarie, 318nm with Camden the furthest at 450nm and the Gold Coast at 353nm.
Balls Pyramid with Lord Howe in the background
I choose to go from Camden where the aircraft was based at the time with the knowledge that I could calculate a PNR for a diversion to Port Macquarie if I was unable to land at Lord Howe and had insufficient fuel to return to Sydney or the Sydney weather prevented a safe return.
In my case Sydney ATC after a short delay cleared me across Sydney airport from Camden direct to Lord Howe. I calculated a PNR and ETP and then requested a weather update from Brisbane Centre for Lord Howe. I was fortunate the winds were light and the island was cloud free so once I reached the PNR I elected to continue. Lord Howe has a well deserved reputation for severe turbulence around the airfield, see the ERSA listing for Lord Howe, to the point where it can be impossible to land. As I had the option of returning to Port Macquarie my PNR for a return to Sydney was conservative. VFR range is around 200nm at 9,500. The ETP calculation was mainly in case I lost electrical power and needed to land in the shortest possible time. Most light aircraft without ferry tanks will not be able to fly all the way to Lord Howe Island and then divert back to Australia so you need to make that decision by the PNR.
For the return trip (against the prevailing winds) I had the option again of Port Macquarie if there were significant head winds, fortunately there were not and I went direct to Camden. Darren on his return trip was not so lucky and had to divert to Port Macquarie due high head winds.
Lord Howe Island to Norfolk Island
Stage length is 489nm and it's the longest overwater stage of the 3 stages you need to fly. There are no alternative airports. So a simple PNR and ETP is all you need plus a weather update for Norfolk Island and if that looks bad confirmation that Lord Howe is still ok. Again most light aircraft will not be able to fly to Norfolk and return to Lord Howe or go on to New Zealand without refueling.
Norfolk Island to New Zealand
Now this is where there are two broad options, stage through to Auckland International at 589nm or opt for Kerikeri at only 481nm. Auckland International is simpler as all you need do to comply with NZ Customs and Quarantine laws is to advise Customs 48 hours before arrival/departure of your intentions.
VH-DIV parked at Lord Howe
Difficulty is some aircraft will not have the range to go nonstop to Auckland. If this is the case the normal practice is to go to Kerikeri. To meet Customs and Quarantine rules you must request permission a minimum of 5 working days before your expected arrival/departure time as it is not staffed by a permanent Customs officer.
In my case I had the range to go nonstop to Auckland and elected to do that going over. The Diamond performed beautifully, stage length of 5.6 hours against at times a 20 plus knot headwind still left me with 1.2 hours of fuel on arrival. I averaged 27.5 litres per hour for this leg. The last hour was over land and I had the option of landing at Kerikeri or another NZ airport if fuel became an issue. Not so on the way back as once you reach your PNR to Norfolk and elect to continue you have no options if unable to land due weather other than joining the Westwind jet in the water off Norfolk. Given the lack of alternative places to land and the prevailing winds being against me I elected on the return to go from Kerikeri saving an hour of fuel in case I needed it to hold at Norfolk for weather. Note landing elsewhere than approved in advance will incur the displeasure of NZ Customs and Quarantine so an explanation will be demanded, bad flight planning will not look good.
Return trip was very similar, 13.2 hours flight time from Kerikeri to Camden using 31 litres of fuel per hour. Was not as aggressive in leaning on way back and spent 90 minutes at 1,000 feet or less due to clouds initially and then stayed there due to better winds at low level.
To be continued next Newsletter...
Mark King
Club Member and owner of VH-DIV
'SARTIME Minus 5' campaign
The Safety Programs & Promotions team at Airservices Australia launched a 'SARTIME Minus 5' campaign in July aimed at reducing the number of forgotten SARTIME cancellations amongst GA operators.
Each year, around 12,000 SARTIMES expire without being cancelled by pilots. The reality is that very few expired SARTIMES are the result of an aircraft in distress. Most are simply because pilots forget to extend or cancel their SARTIME prior to expiry.The campaign encourages pilots to set their mobile alarms for 'SARTIME Minus 5' - that way five minutes before their SARTIME is due to expire they'll receive a reminder to ring CENSAR.
The promotional package includes an A3 'SARTIME Minus 5' poster and sticker to place on the frame of a computer used to submit SARTIME flight notifications. ERSA will also feature the campaign on its cover, current from 27 August 2010.
Your support of this important campaign is welcome and appreciated. If you have any queries regarding the 'SARTIME Minus 5' campaign please don't hesitate to contact Airservices Australia.
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
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time" - John Lubbock.
Latrodectus
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