Schofields Flying Club Ltd - 1 Tower Road Bankstown Airport 2200
(PO Box 200, Georges Hall, NSW 2198 AUSTRALIA)
Phone: +61 2 9773 3611  Email:

SCHOFIELDS FLYING CLUB NEWSLETTER - DECEMBER 2006


Welcome to the December 2006 edition of Schofields News. There are the usual plus some new features - by Mike Allsop, by Peter Blackbourn, by Pat Watson, (Britten-Norman BN-3 Nymph) by Anthony Coleiro, by Philip McLeod, by David Jaffray, by John Hook, by 'Mus' Akita, by Peter Blackbourn, and from Latrodectus. As well, there's the usual administrivia that you've come to expect. So, read on and enjoy!

Merry Christmas! NEW MEMBERS FOR NOVEMBER: Welcome to Max Jackson, Robbie Glance, Scott Penn, Tony Eales, Philip Lawrence, Zaffer Yacoub, Jun Gon Kim, Matthew Hennig, David Britton, Shane Leahy and David Keith.

DUTY PILOT DRAW: The Volunteer Duty Pilot Monthly Draw ($50 free flying) for October went to Rae Cauchi and John Worthington, and for November to Jennie Leung and Neville Harris. Congratulations and thanks for your continued support!

CLUB CHRISTMAS PARTY: Our function this year will be held in the NP Aviation hangar on Saturday, 9th December, commencing at 6:30pm. Special guest speaker will be aviatrix and long-distance swimmer, Lyn Gray.

DIARY DATES: The Club has a number of social and flying activities planned for 2007. You can check full details on our page. Below is a summary of the programme for December 2006 and January 2007:


Sat 09 December Club Christmas Party     Clubhouse
Mon 18 December Committee Meeting Clubhouse
Tue 26 December Tassie Tour departs Clubhouse
Sun 31 December Last Light Drinks Clubhouse

Mon 01 January New Years Day  

LAST LIGHT DRINKS is a social activity introduced by the Clubhouse & In-house Events sub committee for members and their guests to join together with some of our committee members on the last Sunday of each month. It is an opportunity to discuss flying at an operational and social level and see the changes that are taking place at the club. Drinks are available from our licensed bar, with complimentary savories served. It's a couple of hours of social intercourse with an aviation theme we can all enjoy. From 17:00 to wind up around 19:00. Come and join us on December 31.

PRESIDENT'S NOTES - MIKE ALLSOP


Mike Allsop
Mike Allsop

Firstly this month I would like to take the opportunity to wish all of you a safe and happy Christmas and New Year. I hope to see many of you at the Club Christmas Party in the NP Aviation Hangar on Saturday 9th December to kick the season off! Call the Club to make a booking - good company, great aircraft on display, and inspiring speaker - we would love to see you there.

Over the break, many members take the opportunity to get "a flying fix" - whether it is getting that AFR done, doing a good chunk of training and getting on top it, or maybe doing an endorsement on a more advanced type. We have quite a large group going to Tasmania on Boxing Day for a two week flying trip - that should count as a serious fix! All the very best to you for a wonderful trip, folks. Nelson Crawshaw and Wayne Russell have done a marvellous job in organising this trip and they deserve every credit for it.

Despite the Tassie trip we are, of course, still open for 'business as usual' during late December and early January. Instructors will be on duty as ever, the Jabiru and the Cessnas will be there for training and private hire, and we will have a selection of Warriors and Arrows on cross-hire for normal training and private hire duties as well. How about some simulator time if you are doing your instrument rating or want to sharpen up your instrument flying skills? The Club fleet will all be back for normal duties from about January 10th.

We are looking forward to a successful 2007, with a solid ramp up in training services and a continuation of the wide variety of informative workshops we provide for all our flying members. Pat Watson is bringing a number of things together for us in this area both through our Sydney Flight College arm and the Club itself. It is also important to point out that, from time to time, we expect to work in conjunction with other operators at Bankstown in the promotion of aviation and aviation training. We all work in a common industry sector and it is my belief that good operators should be prepared to help each other out and foster growth of the whole sector, whether training or private aviation. Schofields Flying Club has that essence in its Charter and will continue to work in that very manner.

I hope to see you at the Club sometime soon. In the meantime, as they say, shiny side up!

Mike Allsop
President SFC

VISIT TO THE WEST LONDON AERO CLUB - PETER BLACKBOURN


Club Vice President Peter Blackbourn and wife Vivianne have now returned from their recent holiday in Europe. As the 'official Schoies Foreign Correspondent', Peter has provided his final report on their trip to foreign shores.

Extra excitement - a  radial-engined Stearman
For extra excitement - a radial-engined Stearman

My last report is a short note about WLAC (West London Aero Club), another great flying organisation Viv and I visited on our recent trip. This came about by chance when Schoies member Troy Smith who currently resides in the UK with wife Diana emailed me after my Lasham article so say that it was unfortunate we did not catch up while over his way. Viv and I had shared a couple of flyaways with Troy and we were delighted to read his message when we returned from France. With another week in the UK before heading over to Italy we did indeed catch up at WLAC where Troy is a member.

As you will see from the photos WLAC is an old wartime aerodrome complete with original wooden huts from a past era where, undoubtedly, many-a-scramble took place. These huts are heritage listed with no further development permitted. Club premises requirements for admin, flight operations and briefing rooms have to be contained within the existing structure.

West London Aero Club
The main clubhouse room was more like the lounge bar in a hotel with great drink and food service to match. With separate planning, briefing and meeting rooms this area is dedicated to the social aspects of the club. Given the space and the right premises, this layout is certainly something we could embrace. Food for future thought.

One of the things I found most interesting about WLAC was more so in the car park than airside. Two Aston Martin DB5s, a vintage Bentley and a left hand drive Triumph convertible that were all in concourse condition. Check out the accompanying pictures and you will see what I mean. Some high flyers here, I would say!

The lineup of 40 or so aircraft parked airside was made up of a variety of types. Mainly Pipers and Cessnas as you might expect but with a few specials to whet your appetite. A radial engined Stearman, an Extra 300 and a Pitts Special for those who want some extra excitement in their flying.

With annual membership around $700 and flying rates of approx $400 dual and $325 solo it does show the premium our English friends pay for this beloved activity.

I hope you have enjoyed this series of special reports I have been able to share with you. If you have been somewhere interesting that has an aviation flavour about it, then think about putting together a few words and pictures to share with our members in the newsletter.

Peter Blackbourn
Schoies Foreign Correspondent

ASK THE CFI - PAT WATSON


Patrick Watson
Patrick Watson
Ask the CFI

I  have been back on the job at Schoies now for a week and a half. It seems like I've never left. Everything is very familiar, members are as friendly and as welcoming as ever, and it's great to be able to have a chat and a few laughs over coffee. It's pleasing that so many club members have dropped in to say "g'day" and "welcome back".

One vast improvement since I left is the appointment of a General Manager, Nelson Crawshaw. Nelson does a lot of the work that I used to do when I was CFI the last time, except that he does a lot more - and more thoroughly.

We would like to build up the Club flying hours. To facilitate this, we intend making instructors more accessible, the fleet more available and with increased types - and a lot more courses available in which we hope to invoke your interest and improve your skills. More on the types of courses available and what we can offer next month.

I would like to draw your attention to what I consider an alarming habit exhibited by some students and test candidates, discovered during flight tests and biennial flight reviews. I am referring to the habit of some candidates of touching instead of operating switches and controls during the trouble check when conducting practise forced landings. As we all know, just about every flight test and check flight incorporates a simulated engine failure. Part of the subsequent process requires the pilot candidate to conduct a trouble check. The most common trouble check uses the mnemonic CFMOST. C stands for Carburettor Heat, F is fuel - pump/s on - change tanks, M is mixture - through the range and set full rich, O means check Oil Pressure and Temperature, S is magneto Switches, check both, and finally T means throttle - through the range and set ¾. [?]

What concerns me is the habit by some of just touching the controls rather than actually operating them. I fear that if a real engine failure occurs, the pilot will do what s/he has always done - that is touch rather than operate. At a recent CASA seminar, the attendees we were told of a number of forced landings as a result of engine failures, due to fuel starvation. When the engine failed, the pilot did a trouble check, but instead of changing fuel tanks, did what s/he always did and just touched the controls. If they had actually changed tanks the engine would have fired precluding the necessity for a forced landing.

By the way, fuel starvation means there is adequate fuel on board, but not getting to the engine - usually due to the wrong tank being selected. Fuel exhaustion means that all of the fuel has been used. The latter is not as common as the former.

Similar situation - twice I have had engine failures. Whilst doing trouble checks, practising what I preach, I have operated rather than just touched the magneto switches and found the engine roared into life on one magneto but died on the other or both. So remember, get in to the habit of actually operating all of the controls during a trouble check EXCEPT THE MIXTURE CONTROL. Leave it full rich or not less than ¾ rich.

If you have any questions about any aspect of flying, be they as diverse as history, engine operation, air law, aerodynamics, performance, procedures, or any other aspect of aviation, please send them on to me, I'll attempt to answer them or find out for you and answer them via this column.

Similarly, if you have any complaints or suggestions about any aspect of your Schofields Flying Club experience, please don't hesitate to forward them to me. You can remain anonymous if you prefer.

Pat Watson
CFI, CP and HAAMC

X-FILE X069 - BRITTEN-NORMAN BN-3 NYMPH - ANTHONY COLEIRO


X-Files Britten-Norman BN-3
Britten-Norman BN-3

The Britten-Norman BN-3 was a four-seat high-wing monoplane intended to be sold in kit form to local manufacturers (not to amateur aircraft builders). Anthony Coleiro
Anthony Coleiro
The intent was to save on freight and customs charges along with assisting emergent customer nations evolve a rudimentary aircraft industry. It was estimated that the aircraft would take 500 man-hours to put together by certificated engineers using minimal equipment.

Designed to compete with the Cessna 172, the BN-3 was simple and straightforward aerodynamically like the Britten-Norman Islander. Its structure was all-metal including the control surfaces. The unusually long wings (to reduce induced drag) had a high aspect ratio and could fold towards the rear, hinged around the rear spar. The folding wings were seen as an attractive asset to save on hangarage charges.

All the components for the aircraft were pre-cut and folded with the master rivet holes drilled out. No special jigs or tools were required and the assembly plans, which came in 16 sets, were easy to follow. Britten-Norman even set up an assembly school in Bembridge to train licencees.

Three models were planned, a Lycoming O-235 115 hp engined two seat trainer, a Rolls-Royce Continental 130 hp and a Lycoming O-320 160 hp four seat touring aircraft depending on customer preference.

The prototype was flown on 17 May 1969 after a frantic 53 days building the aircraft. It was exhibited at the Paris Air Salon of that year; even the mauve paint job was rushed to get the aircraft there on time.

Lack of interest in this aircraft saw the demise of the project leaving only the single prototype.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  • Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft - Orbis Publication
  • Aircraft - July 1969, August 1969 - The Royal Aeronautical Society
  • Australian Flying - July 1969 - Page Publications
  • Flight International - 22 May 1969 - Illiffe Transport Publications
  • Flying Review International - August 1969 - Haymarket Publishing Group
Anthony Coleiro

VISIT TO ANSETT FLIGHT SIMULATOR MELBOURNE - PHILIP MCLEOD


On Friday 3rd November I was in Melbourne on business. My business partner in a previous life repaired Ansett Black Box Flight Recorders. As our business activities finished early and my flight back to Sydney did not leave until later in the evening my associate (Tony Haddad) asked if I would like to see through the Ansett Flight Simulator facility where he used to work. This was too good to miss, but isn't Ansett gone? I asked. No, I was informed. A private company bought the facility and the name and the logo. You can visit their web site at

Upon arrival at the facility we were met by one of Tony's old friends, Greg D'Cruze (Simulator Technical Officer). Greg explained that now the facility was open to airlines and pilots from around the world on a 24/7 basis.

Boeing 737 simulator
Boeing 737 simulator
The first simulator was a Boeing 737 simulator. The 737 simulator was closed down at the time; the next was a Boeing 767 simulator. The size of these things is amazing. The room for this simulator is about 2 storeys high and the size of a small house.

After sitting in the 767 simulator for a while Greg said we should move on to the Dash 8 simulator. Waiting at the door of the Dash 8 simulator was Brian Jackson (Business Development and Marketing Manager), also an instructor on this type. After meeting Brian he asked if I would like to fly the Dash 8. Once I was able to close my mouth I answered YES!!!! The Dash 8 is in a similar room to the 767 and is one of the newer simulators.

Brian said he would talk me through all the checks and the numbers to keep us flying. After strapping in (something you NEED to do even in the simulator) and me nervously scanning the instrument panel from the left hand seat for familiar instruments, we were set up for a visual flight from RWY 07 at Mascot. I identified the ASI, Altimeter and Engine instruments; I figured the rest would not matter for this flight. Sitting on the runway all the detail at Mascot was to be seen from the computer generated surround cockpit view. The realism was incredible. This realism was further enhanced once the throttles were pushed forward. The noise and vibration added to the realism along with the very real sense of acceleration. I even managed my usual trick of wandering a bit on the runway.

We took off over Randwick and climbed to 3000 feet, turned left over the ocean and headed North towards Sydney. Upon reaching Sydney Heads I turned left again and started a descent to 1000 feet eventually turning left again to line up for a visual approach to RWY 16R at Mascot. Anyone who has done a Harbour Bridge flight will know the sort of view you get of this part of Sydney at this altitude. The same view was in this simulator, with as much detail. The visual approach and landing was just like I would normally fly with no problems controlling the aircraft. Once I had landed the aircraft one major difference became apparent, reverse thrust. Brian helped me to apply reverse thrust and it was now apparent why he wanted everyone in the simulator strapped in, without the harness I would have been sitting on the instrument panel.

DHC-8 Dash 8 simulator
Dash 8 simulator
My friend Tony then did the same flight, but with some cloud added. Brian told me that they can go from full calm VMC to full IFR with the worst weather imaginable in this simulator. They can add traffic and ATC, and can set it up for any major, and most regional airports anywhere in the world. Also they can simulate any emergency that is likely to occur, except depressurization which they cannot simulate.

Brian now wanted to do a practice NDB approach and landing at Canberra, so it was time for me to play copilot and learn how to use some of the Nav Aids as well as the landing gear and some other things. I was amazed that the Dash 8 is really a two pilot aircraft. While it could be flown by one person it would be difficult, some of the controls and switches are difficult to reach from the left seat.

After this landing it was time to really come down to earth. We had spent 1hour 45 minutes flying in the simulator, and enjoyed every minute of it. Brian told us that they can take a person from never having flown before to full command status in this simulator. I am not sure if that is true, but even so this machine is very impressive to fly, and it is almost as good as the real thing. I am sorry that there are no photographs, but I didn't have my camera with me for a business trip.

For those with a technical bent, you may be interested to know that the real heart and soul of these simulators is the hydraulics that drives the cabin. All aspects of flight are controlled by old 486 computers. It seems that the program code is currently only suitable for DOS based computers. Greg told me that there are about 6 computers for each simulator and it is getting very hard to get parts for these computers these days. Something will have to change soon.

Needless to say my very sincere thanks go to Tony for organizing the tour, Greg for showing me through the facility and, of course, Brian for the most magical 1¾ hours I have had in a long time.

If any of you ever get the chance to fly one of these simulators grab it with both hands, you will not regret it I assure you.

Philip McLeod
Schofields Member

TO BOURKE AND BACK - DAVID JAFFRAY


David Jaffray
David Jaffray

I had only ever used my PPL to fly away from Bankstown and back again the same day. I was keen to rectify that and my good friend Barbara, an avid traveller who loves to fly in light aeroplanes, was happy to join me and split the bill. So I called the club and booked Warrior IJK for the first week of October. We settled on a six-day round trip to Mudgee, Dubbo, Bourke, Lightning Ridge and Coonabarabran.

Never having taken an aeroplane away before, I had lots of questions. How would I get the weather forecast and file a flight notification? How and where would I get fuel and what would I pay for it with? Where can you to park? How do you get from the airport to your motel? What do you do in country towns without a car? I spent many evenings in the days leading up to the trip searching for answers, many of which I found in the ERSA. I also prepared each day's flight plan.

Finally the big day came. It was Sunday, 1st October and Mt Victoria was CAVOK, so over the mountains we went heading for Mudgee. Self-serve AVGAS at Dubbo
Self-serve AVGAS at Dubbo
We departed with three fuel carnet cards (one for each major AVGAS supplier), a tie-down kit and 2 spare litres of oil, all provided by the Club.

We found Mudgee nestled against the hills and were surprised by the number of aircraft on the ground. Visiting aircraft were parked on a grassed area marked off by yellow cones. Now we knew how to find the parking lot. At the terminal building the Hertz rep met us with a car. On our route, only Mudgee and Dubbo had rental cars on offer. At Mudgee the car got us to a pub lunch, three wineries and the excellent Rajarani Indian restaurant for dinner.

The answer I'd found in the ERSA to the weather and flight notification question was the AVFAX system. I had bought a PhoneAway pilot briefing card and on day two put it into action. But fifty minutes later, still no forecast had arrived at the motel office. A call to the help line and it was it sent again, eleven pages of it! On other days the fax arrived within minutes of my call and by refining my use of the AVFAX codes I was able to bring it down to four pages in length. Next, I had to lodge my flight notification. I tried to fax it through. Two fax machines and eight tries later it still wouldn't go. It was a public holiday, but - ! Eventually I phoned it through. They like you to read it out fast, so it's quick and easy to do. I didn't try faxing again.

Between Mudgee and Dubbo the countryside flattens out in every direction. At Dubbo airport we found the yellow cones and parked on the grass near the card-swipe bowser. We picked up our Budget rental car and spent the afternoon at Western Plains Zoo.

Departing Bourke
Departing Bourke
The next morning, before departing for Bourke we had to refuel. Although I knew the theory, I had never refuelled an aircraft before. It was reassuring to see clear instructions written up beside the bowser. I swiped the Club's Shell carnet card and, before I knew it, I was pumping AVGAS.

By Dubbo, Barbara and I were starting to develop a bit of a routine. She would take charge of the luggage and see it safely stowed while I did the pre-flight checks.

The flight to Bourke was 190NM, the longest stage on the trip. Catching a glimpse of the famous North Burke Bridge on downwind, we landed at Bourke and called a taxi. As he helped us with our luggage, the driver remarked on the friendliness of the flies. There's an afternoon minibus tour you can do to see the sights, but get ready for a beating around the ears with the politics of water.

The next day we headed for Lightning Ridge, but first did a scenic lap of Mt Oxley, a mesa-shaped mountain 20NM southeast of Bourke. Forty minutes past Brewarrina, a scatter of white mullock heaps tells us that the 'The Ridge' is dead ahead. After a quick phone call to the motel, the promised courtesy bus arrived and took us into town. The next morning we did a minibus tour of Lightning Ridge. The tour guides' training manual must say 'just keep talking' because that's what they do.

From Lightning Ridge we flew the twenty-minute Barbara would take charge of the luggage
Barbara would take charge of the luggage
hop to Walgett to refuel. We phoned ahead, so the Walgett Aero Club rep was waiting for us at the bowser. With full tanks we headed south to Coonamble, then southeast for a scenic look at the Warrumbungle Mountains before landing at Coonabarabran. In comparison to where we'd been, Coonabarabran was cool, green and lush. From the motel it was a short taxi ride to the Skywatch Observatory and restaurant. The Thai food was great and the stargazing made it fascinating night.

For the entire trip the sky had been clear, but on our way home, when we reached the Blue Mountains, suddenly there was this layer of cloud. The forecast had predicted a base of 5,500' on the ranges, but now it was more like 4500'. Mt Victoria and Meadlow Bath were clear but skirting Katoomba we were down to 4000' remaining clear of cloud. The ground looked uncomfortably close after the 7500' we'd enjoyed for days in the northwest. Had we arrived any later we might have found ourselves enjoying an evening in Bathurst.

Flying every day for six days was a great experience. You get to correct today's inaccuracies tomorrow. Apparently I didn't scare Barbara, as she's keen for more!

David Jaffray
Schofields Member

CLUB COMPETITION FLYING UPDATE - JOHN HOOK


John Hook
John Hook
NSW INTERCLUB: Many thanks to all at the Central Coast Aero Club for their continued support, as well as to Wayne Young and his instructors for again defying the odds and flying with our competitors. As always Wayne gives us all the facilities. Dinner was superb despite misgivings about the quality using the last time we were there as a yardstick.

We did not get as many people as anticipated with many being stuck at Bankstown, Cowra, Rutherford and elsewhere. Thanks to you who made it by using motor vehicles to get there. The weather was appalling and with no navaid at Warnervale, IFR was out. So a few hardy SFC aviators (Les Rapolti, Rae Cauchi and Bob Cassagrande) drove and flew CCAC aircraft. Les did well to come second in the Spot landing flying an Arrow.

Schofields Flying Club re-instated as a formal competing club this year and the reward has been a number of awards, starting with:
  • Rae Cauchi - best APE for 2006 (APE = Aces Professionals Experts)
  • Schofields Flying Club - best club overall for 2006 and best club for Forced Landing and Spot Landing
  • Best pilot rankings - 2nd Les Rapolti behind Roger Gates from CCAC - a great result considering we didn't see Les at a club competition all year, 3rd Alan Drury, 4th John Hook and 5th Bob Casagrande.
For those who want to know where we are going next year, here it is
  1. March 3 at Royal Newcastle Aero club, Rutherford - Round 1
  2. July 7 at Moruya Aero club, Moruya - Round 2
  3. November 3, Young Aero Club, Young - Round 3
SCHOFIELDS CLUB COMPETITION: We had a bumper year in 2006 with two competitions at Bankstown, and we thank BK TWR and BAL staff for their support. Tentative results for 2006 are as follows:
  1. John Hook (1112 points)
  2. John Carswell (1002 points)
  3. Alan Drury (987 points)
John Hook
Schofields Sports Flying Co-ordinator

FLYING THE BEECH 200 KING AIR - 'MUS' AKITA


As some of you might know, I resigned from Schofields Flying Club in July to take up a position with another company. I apologise for not being able to write up an article sooner, but since I left, I have been quite busy with the training and relocation.

Mus in the cockpit of his B200
Mus in the cockpit of his B200
I joined a charter company called Pearl Aviation Australia, a member of Paspaley Pearls Group, based in Darwin. The company operates a fleet of King Airs and Metros for both charter and aerial work operations from the bases throughout the country. I was offered a command position on King Air at Port Hedland base.

I spent 3 weeks in Darwin, going through induction training, ground school and initial endorsement training. I then went through line training, flying ICUS with training captains on revenue flights. Port Hedland base operates contract charter for the mining companies.

It is a very steep learning curve. The King Air flies around twice the speed and about 3 times the altitude of what I am used to, similar to the performance of a typical regional airliner. Difference is however, King Air is single pilot aircraft, so I can't get a co-pilot to do all the hard work for me!

All the additional on-board systems are supposed to make things easy for me though, like weather radar, auto-pilot, radio altimeter and, most importantly, an air conditioning system! But when you have more systems, it also means there are more buttons to push, which increases the workload ... back to square one!

There is also an interesting device in the cockpit, called a "relief tube". It looks like a plastic champagne glass with its bottom connected to the rubber tube that leads outside the aircraft. It is supposed to be used when you have a little too much coffee just before the flight and you still have hours to your destination. It will save you having to make an unscheduled (and urgent) stop to go to the bathroom. I haven't used the device yet and I hope I never have to.

After approximately 100 hours of line-training (as required by the charter client), I was successfully checked to line in early November. The check and training captain told me that if there are more pilots like me in the company, it will make his job real easy! I thought that was a compliment.

Mus taxiing his B200
Mus taxiing his B200
I found my background as flight instructor really helped me during the training. Having a solid foundation and understanding of basic flying skills and operational knowledge is extremely helpful when learning something a little more advanced. Similarly, anyone thinking of taking up NVFR/CPL/IFR training should realise how important it is to have thorough understanding of the knowledge and skills acquired during their initial training up to GFPT/PPL.

I have started to fly as pilot in command and I do feel a sense of achievement when I am looking out the window from 25,000 feet, navigating around the CBs, and safely arriving at the destination and greeting the passengers at the air stair door. I get as much job satisfaction as I did at the Club, seeing students getting through the training and achieving their goals.

Just as I thought I was settling into my new position, I received a call from the Chief Pilot a few days after I got checked to line. I am now being transferred to another base! I am actually getting ready to relocate all over again, leaving Port Hedland early December to go to Darwin for a few weeks, and then I will be placed in Katherine, doing contract charter for Northern Territory Aerial Medical Services.

I am very excited about this unique opportunity to get into of one the most challenging flying operations, the aero-med flying. There aren't too many operators in the country that engages in such an operation, and I am glad that I was given the chance. I will have to do further ICUS training and go though checks again though - I thought it was all over!

Anyway, I hope I can return to Sydney and say Hello to everyone in not too distant future. Until then, I hope everyone is well and enjoy their flying.

Masamichi (Mus) Akita
Former Schofields Instructor

CLUB CHRISTMAS PARTY - PETER BLACKBOURN


HO HO HO ... our big friend in the red suit is due to arrive soon and to celebrate the club is having a party in his honour on Saturday 9th December. This will be held in our engineer's hangar just up the road from the club house. It's a big place with lots of room.

Lyn Gray
Lyn Gray
We have arranged some unique entertainment on the night including a visit and talk from past member Lyn Gray. For those who may not know Lyn she did her initial flight training at Schoies and is now a Senior Instructor with Clamback and Hennessy's. Not long ago she appeared on the TV news and the front page of most Australian newspapers when the plane she was ferrying from the USA had a fuel feed problem that resulted in her having to ditch in the Pacific a few hours out of Hawaii.

With hot savouries on arrival followed by a sit down traditional Christmas dinner including sweets it will be an event to enjoy. Drinks will be available from our special bar on the night at the usual club prices.

The evening will also provide an opportunity for members to catch up with old friends and indeed make new ones. The friendly atmosphere that we enjoy at such events is a good reason to come along.

  WHEN Saturday, 9th December at 6:30pm
  WHERE NP Aviation 660 Tower Road (side entrance) ... not far from the Tower
  COST $35 per head

Pud With outside caterers providing the yummy stuff, advance puddings bookings along with payment are essential and need to be made by Friday, 1st December. So make a note in your social diary now to ensure you get on the books in time and not miss out.

Tickets for our Christmas hamper to be drawn on the night are now available from the Club at $2 each or 3 for $5. We look forward to seeing you on the night.

Peter Blackbourn
Clubhouse Services and Events

THE LAST WORD - BY LATRODECTUS


WIND CALCULATIONS: If you have the need to program your HP-50g or TI-84 or maybe an Excel spreadsheet to perform flight planning type wind calculations, then here is a straightforward trigonometric solution. Layout is a bit awkward with the limited character set:

Given W/V, TAS and TR, calculate HDG and GS?

DEFINITIONS
DR      = drift (right drift is negative) 
WD      = wind direction 
TR      = flight plan track 
WS      = wind speed 
TAS     = true air speed
HDG     = heading
GS      = ground speed

FORMULAE
sin(DR) = sin(WD-TR)*WS/TAS 
HDG     = TR + DR 
GS²     = TAS² + WS² - 2*TAS*WS*cos(HDG-WD) 

EXAMPLE (Try this on your nav computer as well) 
W/V 311/15, TR 175, TAS 120; find HDG, GS 

SOLUTION
sin(DR) = sin(311-175)*15/120 
        = 0.087 
DR      = 5 (+ve, so drift is left) 
HDG     = 175 + 5 
        = 180 
GS²     = 120² + 15² - 2*120*15*cos(180-311) 
        = 16987 
GS      = 130 

ANSWER
HDG     = 180 
GS      = 130 
What about in-flight wind calculations, such as: given HDG, TMG, TAS and GS, calculate W/V? You'll have to wait until next month!

FEEDBACK AND CONTRIBUTIONS: Well, that's your Newsletter for this month. With help (in the form of contributions) it might be possible to continue to produce a newsletter every month. Don't forget to check the latest news on the Club's website at . Contributions, comments, feedback, and suggestions to .

THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH: The three most useless things to a pilot are altitude above you, runway behind you, and a tenth of a second ago.

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Until next time.

Latrodectus

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